Honeydew melon

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About Honeydew melon
Honeydew is a type of Melon noted for it's characteristic green flesh, and greenish yellow rind/skin. Honeydew is known as the sweetest of all the melons when ripe. As it's name would indicate the honeydew melon has an almost honey like taste, in addition to the moist taste that most melons offer. This makes this fruit an ideal choice as a healthy dessert. It should also be noted, that while most honeydew melon is green fleshed, orange-fleshed honeydew also exists.

The orange flesh honeydew melon is a varietal of honeydew melon which has been bred to be especially flavorful and juicy. These melons may look like cantaloupes at first glance when sliced, but they do not have the netted skin of the classical cantaloupe, and the flavor resembles that of a honeydew melon, not a cantaloupe.

Wikipedia Article About Honeydew melon on Wikipedia

Honeydew is a Cultivar Group of melon, Cucumis melo Inodorus Group, which includes 'Crenshaw', 'Casaba', and other mixed melons. Honeydew is also the American name for the cultivar 'White Antibes' which has been grown for many years in southern France and Algeria.

A honeydew has a round to slightly oval shape, typically 15–22 cm long. The flesh of a honeydew is pale green in colour, while the smooth peel ranges from greenish to yellow. Like most fruit, honeydew has seeds. Honeydew's thick, juicy, sweet flesh is often eaten for dessert, and is commonly found in supermarkets across the world. This fruit grows best in semiarid climates and is harvested based on maturity, not size. Maturity can be hard to judge, but is based upon ground colour ranging from greenish white (immature) to creamy yellow (mature). Quality is also determined by the honeydew having a nearly spherical shape with a surface free of scars or defects. Also, a honeydew should appear heavy for its size and have a waxy (not fuzzy) surface.

Honeydew melons are fat and cholesterol free, low in sodium, and high in vitamin C.

Buying Honeydew Melon
When buying Honeydew, one should avoid obvious scarring, bruising and discolorations on the melon. Honeydew should be firm throughout the entire melon. Malleable melon indicates either bruising or vast over ripeness. Also try to avoid obvious discolorations which can indicate bruising, disease or over ripeness.

The most important factors are the texture and colors. Honeydew should have an almost waxy and smooth feeling to it, try to avoid fuzziness which usually indicates under ripening. In addition, the coloration of the rind/skin should be looked at. Greenish white melons are still immature and need to ripen, whereas melons that are yellow in appearance will tend to be over ripe.

Preparing Honeydew Melon
Honeydew should typically be cut lengthwise, using the stem area of the melon as a gauge. This is due to the fact, the contents of the honeydew's seed cavity are usually undesirable, and cutting lengthwise allows for easier removal as well as better presentation of the melon.

After the melon has been halved, removal of the pulp and seeds within the seed cavity of the melon should be the next step. Ideally an ice cream scoop will perform this task, but any spoon will do. Be certain to remove the inner lining of this cavity, while not digging too deeply into the melon's flesh, thereby wasting it.

Unlike similar melons such as the Cantaloupe, the flesh of the honeydew will typically be two colors, a pale white color by the seed cavity and green closer to the rind. Typically the white portion of the melon is the sweetest and most honey-like in taste. However, it does have a more slimy texture to it which may be undesired, so take care in removing the melon's flesh around the seed cavity.

From here, the melon can be cut as desired. The yellow/greenish flesh of the melon can be eaten off of the rind/skin or can be sliced off the rind/skin and be served cut. A melon baller can also be used to scoop the melon from the rind/skin to make melon balls. The external skin of the honeydew is inedible and can potentially contain bacteria, and thus should be not be eaten.

Storing Honeydew Melon
Honeydew that has not been cut, should be stored in a cool, dry place typically most fridge crispers will suffice. Once it has been cut, frigeration is essential to prevent spoiling. Honeydew can be frozen after it has been cut, although as with most frozen fruits, tends to lose much of its texture in the thawing process and in honeydew's case, tends to be very soggy to the taste. However, melon of this kind can still be blended well. Avoid moist locations as they can encourage growth of mold. Lastly, honeydew melons are ethylene producing fruits. This means it will ripen faster if not given proper space to breathe, or if it is placed with other ethylene producing fruits.

Cooking Honeydew Melon
Honeydew, as with many melons, is seldom cooked and is often served raw. The sweet and moist nature of melon doesn't offer many culinary avenues. Honeydew, if not served raw can be blended into, or used to top, sorbet or ice cream.