This fruit grows best in semiarid environments and is gathered based upon maturity, not size. Maturity can be hard to judge, but it is based upon the ground color varying from greenish white (immature) to velvety yellow (fully grown). Quality is likewise figured out by the honeydew having an almost round shape with a surface free of scars or defects. A honeydew needs to likewise feel heavy for its size and have a waxy instead of a fuzzy surface.
So, you wish to know how to tell if a honeydew melon is ripe, do you? With summer season quick approaching there are a myriad of juicy and flavorful fruits to choose from. After all, there are few things much better than a juicy honeydew, however an unripe one leaves a lot to be wanted.
Actually, while I delight in all these terrific fruits, a perfectly ripe melon is most likely my favorite. However discovering a completely ripe melon and feeling positive that you are taking home a ready-to-eat piece of fruit is a challenge for many any buyer.
So as melons begin to complete your racks, I wished to discuss a few very simple strategies for choosing ripe melons.
How to Tell if a Melon is Ripe?
Unlike cantaloupes, honeydew melons have a really smooth skin instead of a course netted skin. As honeydews ripen, they turn from green, to velvety white, to yellow. Avoid green ones, but a velvety white one will (unlike other melons) ripen on your counter in a few days.
A completely ripe honeydew will yield simply a bit to pressure at the bloom end and have a sticky, creamy skin. That tackiness that you feel on the skin is really the fruit sugar within the melon pertaining to the surface. Honeydews must have a strong sweet smell when ripe, and this scent is most apparent when the melon is at space temperature.
It’s not unusual to see people shake their melons as a ripeness indication. Think it or not, this can really work with honeydews. When you shake a ripe honeydew, you can feel the seeds really rattling around. Shoppers will likewise attempt this on cantaloupes, but I do not advise this as a ripeness sign for cantaloupes; it yields extremely inconsistent results.
Tips for Purchasing Honeydew Melons
Choosing a ripe honeydew melon is fantastic if you’re going to eat it that day, but what about if you are intending on waiting a while? Well, as I’ve currently pointed out, the key thing to avoid is an immature fruit. Offering the melon is mature, you can always ripen a honeydew melon at home.
You can do all of the above ideas in shop to choose the ripest, juiciest melons, however there are some other things to look out for too when you’re purchasing a honeydew from a shop or down at your local farmers market:
- A fully grown honeydew will appear round and symmetrical when you take a look at it, without any strange lumps and bumps. Again, it’s a smart idea to prevent greener fruits too.
- A great honeydew melon will nearly feel too heavy for its size when you choose it up. Why? Due to the fact that of all that glorious juice held within, that’s why! Choosing a good heavy honeydew will guarantee you get a lip-smackingly juicy fruit.
- While the stem will likely have been gotten rid of from the fruit before it struck the supermarket racks, taking a look at this part of the fruit can identify whether it was well developed on the vine or not. What you are searching for is a subtle dip around where the stem when was. Any remnants of the stem must be well hardened, dry, and free from any signs of mold.
Have a Good Day! I Wish You Good Health!
