Simplicity Gourmet brings you ‘Pick of the Patch’ – how to pick your tastiest fruits and veggies from your local grocer or farmer’s market.

PICK OF THE PATCH: the Honeydew

It’s time for the last of my series of blogs on how to pick the perfect summer melons.

We have conquered the Granddaddy: the Watermelon and I hope you have had success in choosing this one and impressing your friends and family with its sweet, juicy, yummy goodness! Then, I examined how to choose The “First Lady” of Melons: the Cantaloupe.

Today, I want to finish with telling you the inside tips on how to choose The “Lottery Queen” of melons: the Honeydew. When you get lucky enough to have picked a sweet one with a great firm texture out of about 40 in the bin, you feel as though you have won the lottery!

Here is what my Internet research turned up…Smell the end where the vine was attached, remember this is called “the disk.” If it is fragrant and smells like the fruit, this is a good sign and one of the most oblivious that it should be ripe. Next, you can pick up the honeydew and give it a shake, it should rattle from loose seeds. I think this one is rather difficult. I don’t think I have ever heard the seeds rattle. Hum…maybe I just don’t have an ear for call of the honeydew. This must surely be an acquired talent our grandmother’s had!

Next, look for spidery veins that run across the base of the melon. This is the best advice tip of them all and of course, I got it from my friend Bill, the produce manager from my local Smyrna Publix. He also says to run your thumb upwards on the skin of the melon and if it is tacky, then you have a ripe honeydew and you have found the “Lottery Queen” – winning the Melon Lottery!

I have enjoyed bringing you this blog series on choosing sweet, ripe melons. I am glad to have gotten to know Bill. He is a wealth of knowledge and he loves to share that knowledge with others. Get to know your produce manager and see how much better you become at picking the best and most ripe fruits and veggies!

Enjoy the last of summer’s bounty! I would love to hear your comments on picking ripe melons.

Until the Next Pick,

Renee

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Picking the Perfect Cantaloupe with Simplicity Gourmet

As you walk through the fresh produce at the grocery store or your local farmers market, you can’t help but admire all those gorgeous melons that are in abundance this time of year. It is the peak of the summers’ bounty! Your mouth waters at the thought of a ripe sweet cantaloupe or honeydew.

Once again, you are in a quandary as to how to pick one of these jewels. I am going to share with you my secrets to success that I have uncovered for picking a sumptuous sweet cantaloupe. Again, through my research on the internet and then consulting with Bill Ryder, who’s 18 yrs of experience as the Produce Manager from my local Publix grocery store, I have discovered the secrets to consistently choosing a great cantaloupe.

According to the internet, picking a ripe cantaloupe is easy…hum. Out of all the melons that I have picked over the years, I have had the most consistent success picking a cantaloupe and one that my family would eat. That is the real test…one that your family will eat!

Here are the internet tips…cantaloupes have what is called a “disk” on one end. This is where the melon was attached to the vine in the field. Look at the disk; it should be a light tan, golden in color, not green. Next smell the disk to see if it has a sweet fragrant smell coming from it. This suggestion is the one that has helped me to have the most success in choosing a ripe cantaloupe. The last consideration is the overall color of the cantaloupe; it should be evenly golden in color with little to no green.

Bill added one very important clue to picking a ripe cantaloupe…he said, “grocery stores have the worst lighting and the florescent lights can be mislead

ing when you are deciding which one has the best color.” He suggests that you back up from the cantaloupe

s about 4 feet, then survey which ones have the best golden even color and choose accordingly.

Last week, I picked a watermelon and cantaloupe based on all the tips that I have shared with you…my husband said, “That was the best watermelon I’ve ever eaten!” and the cantaloupe was just as delicious! So, don’t be afraid, get out there and

enjoy The First Lady of melons, the cantaloupe.

Try pieces of fresh cut up cantaloupe over vanilla ice cream for a great summer dessert or treat. It is so yummy!!!

Next week I will share how to pick honeydew! This is by far the most difficult one for me!

Happy Shopping!
Renee

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PICK OF THE PATCH!!!

Summer is one of those seasons that we long for all year to recreate and create new memories. We look forward to home grown tomatoes with their  wonderful flavor, sweet strawberries from the strawberry fields, and peaches fresh from the orchard. Mmm, the flavors of summer nostalgia and the bounty of goodness!

But nothing speaks of summer like Watermelons! That sweet juice running down your arm at a picnic and don’t forget watermelon seed spittin…ahh the granddaddy of all summer fruits and melons!

But wait before you go all mushy on those memories because the last watermelon you picked was terrible! So far this summer, you haven’t been able to pick a sweet juicy watermelon. Have you thought to yourself…OK I’ll try one more time because one time…you really did pick a sweet juicy one that was the  delight of that summer day!

I learned that no matter what size or variety of the watermelon, they all have a “soil spot;” this is the place where they sit on the ground and grow. When you look at a watermelon, you will see a place where it doesn’t have any stripes and it is whiteish in color.

My internet research said in order to pick a ripe one, look for the one that the whiteish was turning yellowish in color and I saw plenty of those at the grocery store. Next, look at the stripes, they should have a little contrast between them. The other clue my research turned up was to tap or thump the watermelon and listen for a hollow sound.

Well…just so you know, I have played an ensemble in the produce dept until I got what I thought was a hollow sound. It just proved to be the sound of a tasteless watermelon and big disappointment!

Well…thanks to Bill…I have the REAL story! Let me share will you Bill’s no fail way to pick the best watermelon ever! He said, “the soil spot should be greenish in color.” This means that watermelon had the chance to stay on the vine longer and ripen more. He then showed me and cut open one for me to try…it was fantastic and sweet with a deep red color, just like the watermelon of my memories!

Next week I will go over how to choose sweet ripe cantaloupe and honeydew.

Have a wonderful, watermelon filled weekend!

Renee

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