Marvelous Melons

Several weeks ago I had a special delivery straight from the one of the best places in the world to get melons, Green River, Utah. Along with two or three traditional melons there were a few I had never seen before not to mention tasted, but after cutting into them my love for melons has grown into an entire different vein . . .

The Canary melon is bright yellow on the outside and has a pure white flesh that tastes sweeter than any Honey dew I've ever experienced. It was beautiful pared with raspberries and as part of a sweet salsa.

The Israeli melon (or Galia) virtually covers all five senses. It has a very unique look with it's orange skin covered with spider webs and when opened you find a surprise of icy green flesh. The fragrant oder is slightly spicy and inviting and the consistency of the melon is perfect for eating alone or in a salad.

The Crenshaw melon was by far the most surprising to me. I loved it. It has a green skin that ripens to a yellow and the flesh is a pale peachy orange and when you cut into it releases a wonderful strong spicy aroma . This melon is exquisite, if you haven't tried one, put it on your list before fall slips away. It will be a melon that is a "go to" for me from now on.

In looking into the basic's of melons I found out that melons should last about 1 month on the counter, and I can vouch for that time frame because that is about how long some of these Green River melon's waited in my kitchen before we got around to eating them. They are good to store because of their ability to sit for a while. So I say while we can still pick these wonderful beauties up at the market (I saw three different varieties at Costco last week, and several at my local grocery store) we should stock up on a few to last us until say--- Thanksgiving!

For more information on how to pick the best melon, the nutritional value in them and other tips for serving go here. If you want to read more about Green River melons Lee Benson has a nice piece in today's Deseret New's on Greg Vetere family farm.