Cantaloupe Melon; Every thing you need to know
The Cantaloupe melon is an old variety, it is 5,000 years old. The melon was first grown in Iran and Greece and Egypt soon followed. The Cantaloupe melon today comes from Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, Israel, Panama, Spain, Italy, and France.
There is evidence that the ancient Egyptians cultivated large tracts of land to grow melon. They did this for their own food supply but also for trade. There are 60 types of melon, of which the Cantaloupe is a widely sold melon in the Netherlands.
Cantaloupe Melon
The Cantaloupe melon weighs about 2-3 kilos. Let the melon ripen for up to 1 week in the fruit bowl. The melon is ripe when it has a sweet scent. Store pieces of melon in the refrigerator for 2 days or in the freezer for 12 months.
As mentioned, there are 60 varieties of melon. Not all of these are sold in the Netherlands. In our blog ‘ 8 Types of Melon And All Information ‘, you can read which melons are often eaten in the Netherlands and what you can use them for.
Cantaloupe got its name thanks to the Pope. This one had a piece of land where the melon was also grown and this land was in the town of Cantaloupe. How easy can it be!
In the 18th century, Europe became acquainted with the Melon that the Armenians brought with them.
There are two types of Cantaloupe melon; The North American Cantaloupe and The European Cantaloupe.
Characteristics
The Cantaloupe Melon can weigh up to 5 kilos, but the melons in the supermarket weigh about 2-3 kilos. The flesh is orangish in color and has a firm texture. The taste of the melon is very sweet.
The skin of the Cantaloupe is not edible, but the seeds can be roasted and are certainly nutritious.
The Cantaloupe is not used in salads, it is too sweet for that. The melon is often eaten for breakfast or as a dessert and then of course with ice cream and whipped cream.
Cantaloupe Melon Ripe
The Cantaloupe melon is always picked unripe. Since the melons still have to travel a considerable distance before they are in the supermarket, they are picked unripe. There can be up to 14 days between the time of picking and buying.
When you buy a Cantaloupe melon, it is nice if it is already ripe. You can then eat it right away. A ripe melon gives off a very sweet smell, you can’t miss this. Shaking is another way to see if the melon is ripe. When you shake you hear the seeds rattle and if this is the case, the melon is ripe.
If you don’t want to use the Cantaloupe melon right away, take an unripe melon home and let it ripen at home. Ripen in the fruit bowl and not in the refrigerator. Place the melon on a plate in the kitchen. You can keep the melon for about 1 week. Smell the melon and shake the melon to see if it is ripe.
Cantaloupe Storing
If your melon has yet to ripen, place it on the fruit bowl for a maximum of 1 week.
Has your melon become ripe and you don’t want to or can’t eat it yet? Then keep the Cantaloupe Melon in the fridge. You can store a whole melon in the refrigerator for a short period of time, up to 2 days.
Melon is a tropical fruit and tropical fruits like heat and not cold. From prolonged cold they go rotten.
You can also freeze pieces of melon. Clean the melon and cut it into pieces. Place the melon pieces in a freezer bag or container and seal it. Put the melon in the freezer and you can store the melon for 12 months.
However, I hope you use it sooner, because pieces of melon are delicious in a smoothie or fruit salad.
Do you want to know more about how to keep melons fresh for a long time? Then read our blog ‘ How to store melon? Multiple ways ‘ and you’ll always have fresh and ripe melon at home.
Cutting Cantaloupe Melon
Cutting the melon is not really difficult. You need to know what to do.
First, cut off the bottom and top of the melon. Now the melon no longer rolls away. Then cut the melon in half from the top to the bottom.
Now that the melon is open, first remove the seeds. You do this with a spoon. Scoop out the seeds from the melon. Immediately take a bite and taste the taste of your melon. Nice huh!
Now cut each half in half again and you get half moons. You can halve this again and again if you wish. Now you have wedges that you can eat as often happens with a watermelon. Get your teeth into it.
You can also cut the melon into smaller pieces so that you can use it in a dessert or fruit salad.
Take a piece of melon and cut the melon into pieces up to the skin. You now have melon pieces that are still attached to the skin. Now cut the pieces loose by running your knife over the skin and the flesh. Now you have pieces of melon that you can process further.
Cantaloupe Melon Kcal
The melon naturally contains calories. You can’t miss that, but there are relatively few of them. A 0.5 kilo piece of melon contains about 1900-2100 Kcal. This depends on the ripeness of the melon. Furthermore, the melon contains a lot of moisture, just like all other melons.
Now you know a lot about the Cantaloupe melon and how to ripen, store and cut it.
