Melon lovers, this is your moment. When the weather and the earth connect at that perfect meeting point for melons to achieve their sweetest, juiciest, ripest apex of melonliciousness. Our produce director, Joe Pulicicchio, finds that melon sweet spot at Turlock farms, under the guidance of Steve Smith in-season—a grower so devoted to the quality of fruit, he lets each one ripen on the vine, so it lives up to its full flavor potential when you cut it open. And we have so many types of melons from Steve, we’ve created this handy guide, so you can navigate the melon madness available at our stores throughout Puget Sound.
Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe has an orange flesh with a honeyed, musky, and floral aroma and a distinct, sweet, floral, and fruity flavor. The exterior is pale beige, with a netted or webbed exterior over a light green to tan rind. To pick a great one, feel for firmness, yet with a slight give on the blossom end. At room temperature, smell for that wonderful aroma.
Juan Canary
Here’s a sweet, tangy, juicy melon with kind of a cantaloupe-meets-Asian-pear flavor. It’s a little tangy, a little tropical, a little musky, and a little too great to miss. Pick up one of these bright yellow beauties at your neighborhood markets while they’re still in-season.
Green Honeydew
Also known as honeymelon this one has sweet, light green flesh and a white-yellow toned skin. A ripe one will feel a little sticky on the outside, like it’s sweating sugar. And it’ll have a hollow sound when you strike it. If you find one with blotches on the outside, that’ll be the sweetest of all.
Gold Honeydew
Gold honeydew are similar in size and shape to traditional honeydew melons but their skins are a bright, sunny yellow. They have semi-translucent pale green to cream-colored succulent, sweet flesh. Enjoy this refreshing treat on a warm Seattle day.
Orange Honeydew
Ready to mix things up in your melon bowl? Try this orange-fleshed honeydew, with its cantaloupe-colored flesh and extra honey-ish flavor. This one is Joe’s favorite. Perfect for a summer picnic in Discovery Park or by the waterfront.
Piel de Sapo
In Spanish, the name means Toad Skin—and with the first kiss of its rich, juicy sweetness, and you’ll be in love with this melon forever. Don’t let the green skin fool you—the ugliest ones are the sweetest! Try its juice in a tropical drink and do happy hour the way they do it in Rio.
Galia
This white fleshed melon with a golden exterior netting when ripe. Steve Smith sources the seed from Europe, where it’s a very popular variety. Refreshing and sweet, Galia is great on its own or as a part of a summer fruit salad while in-season.
Hami
With a flavor somewhere between a canteloupe and a honeydew, this large, oblong, melon has a surprisingly crunchy consistency—so much so that you can exchange it for cucumber in most recipes. Smell for sweetness and feel for some softness at the stem end, and you’ll know if it’s the one you want. Visit us today at one of our six market locations and indulge in the sweet taste of summer with the freshest melons around!