Melons are often used in fruit salads or fruit displays such as this one.
Honeydew melons are among the sweetest tasting and smelling of all the melons. They are unusually shaped, more elongated like a football, rather than round like a basketball. Honeydews are great eaten fresh, whether in fruit salad or simply cut in quarters and shared. They are a delicious treat for any summer day. Does this Spark an idea?
Judging by smell
Honeydew melons, an extremely aromatic fruit, become sweeter smelling the riper they become. With a good sniff of the rind, the ripeness of the fruit is instantly known. Melons that need to be shipped are often picked in an unripe state so that they will ripen during shipping and be sweet for selling.
Picking the honeydew
Honeydews will separate from their own stems when ripe. This natural process is called slipping and the ripe melons are easily picked out of the field as they don't need to be cut from the plant. Typically, melons sold in stores will be cut before they reach the full slip stage, and are often not as sweet as ones grown at home.
Softening of the fruit
Melons will get softer at the end opposite the stem when the fruit becomes ripe. When pressing on the rind, there should be a little give to it. If there is no give, the melon is not yet ripe enough to eat, but if the rind is too mushy then the melon has been sitting in the garden or store too long and is overripe.
Color and texture
Honeydew melons should be a creamy yellow color and feel somewhat waxy when ripe and there are veins tracing through the rind that become more detectable by touch when the fruit is ripe. If the fruit feels smooth then it needs to sit a while longer to reach full maturity.
Tags: Honeydew melons, reach full, when fruit, when ripe