Buy a Cantaloupe

From Tips and Steps

With produce prices on the rise, it's important to buy good fruits and vegetables to get your money's worth. Buying a cantaloupe that is ripe and good for eating can be a confusing experience if you don't know what to look for. Follow these steps to ensure a quality purchase.

Steps

1. Look. Take a look at the bin, shelf, or box the cantaloupes are being stored in. If there are flies or other insects around it, or there is juice leaking out and covering the fruits, it's probably a good idea to buy your melon elsewhere.
2. To pick a cantaloupe, look for a fruit that is light tan with green lines across it. Avoid melons with punctures, dents, or large brown or black patches.
3. Feel. Pick up the candidate. It should be heavy for its size, and firm but not rock hard. A cantaloupe that is still a little hard is good for if you are buying for an event about a week away, but if you are planning on taking your cantaloupe home and eating then and there, you'll want one that has a little give.
4. Smell. Sniff the spot where the melon was severed from its stem. You should smell an aroma similar to a freshly sliced cantaloupe. If you can't smell anything, it's under ripe. An unpleasing smell means it's no longer good to eat.
5. Listen. Shake the cantaloupe next to your ear. If you can hear seed rattling about inside, it's ready to eat.

Warnings

• After you've brought your cantaloupe home, always wash it with mild dish soap and cool water. Fertilizers used by farmers can make contact with the fruit and make you sick.

Related Tips and Steps

• How to Spot Fresh Fruit
• How to Preserve Fruit Without Sugar
• How to Make Dried Fruit
• How to Add Fruit to Your Diet
• How to Make Fruit Salad

Category: Food Selection and Storage