Content
- When is a honeydew melon really ripe?
- The different grades of honeydew melon
- Color, hardness and smell of a ripe honeydew melon
- Store the honey melon properly
- Grow the honeydew melons yourself
- Tips & Tricks
When is a honeydew melon really ripe?
A melon with the right degree of ripeness is not only delicious, but also a low-calorie refreshment on hot summer days. The degree of ripeness is not always easy to recognize with these fruits.
Early article Plant a honeydew melon in the garden and harvest fruits yourselfThe different grades of honeydew melon
As a rule, two different trading classes of imported honeydew melons are available in this country. The fruits of category 1 must not show any dents or discoloration on the shell and should have a perfectly oval shape. Their size usually weighs between 1.3 and 3 kilograms. These golden yellow honeydew melons are not only very good for fresh consumption, but also for the elaborate decoration of a table with exotic fruits.Although the cheaper fruits of the second category may show some pressure points on the skin or dents, they should also have been harvested in good time and have no cracks in the skin. As honeydew melons do not ripen well when harvested green, these fruits should only be bought when they are ripe.
Color, hardness and smell of a ripe honeydew melon
A ripe honeydew melon can be identified by various factors. So mature fruits exude a pleasantly sweet scent that should not smell too penetrating to perfume. In addition, the color of the shell as a rich golden yellow should be uniform around. If the melon was harvested a bit green, the pulp is usually very hard as well. A ripe honeydew melon, on the other hand, should yield slightly with a light pressure against the skin. However, if the pulp gives way too much in this pressure test, then it is an overripe specimen, which then usually also has a penetrating perfumed taste of the pulp.
Store the honey melon properly
A ripe honeydew melon can be stored for about one to two weeks at room temperature depending on the actual degree of ripeness. However, this guideline only applies if the shell is intact. Already sliced honey melons are consumed as quickly as possible and can be stored like watermelons in the refrigerator for a maximum of a few days. However, melons should always be covered in the fridge with a little plastic wrap on the cut side. This at least partially prevents the ingress of foreign odors of other foods into the pulp of the melons.
Grow the honeydew melons yourself
Actually, most of the honeydew melons in Germany are from the following growing regions:
Out of season, honeydew melons are also available as avialis from Costa Rica and Brazil. If you want to harvest ripe fruits by the autumn, you will need to prefer the plants of the honeydew melon to your own garden in the spring. Ideally, place the young plants of the honeydew melon in a greenhouse in May, where the fruits, with good care, change the color of their fruits from green to honey yellow until autumn.
Tips & Tricks
When growing in the garden, you can also recognize the ripe state of the fruit by the fact that the plant parts of the honeydew melons die off and begin to dry out despite being supplied with water.