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How to buy the sweetest cantaloupe + recipe!

August 14, 2013 By Talya Tate Boerner Leave a Comment

I love cantaloupe.

My best advice for buying sweet cantaloupe is to buy in-season. In East Dallas, that means June – August. Toward the end of August, it can often be found on sale.

Here are a few tips on picking a sweet, dripping-down-your-chin melon.

See: Inspect the outside. The skin should be tan-colored and free of dents and bruises.
Feel: The melon should feel solid and heavy with no soft spots. Heaviness means ripeness.
Smell: Sniff the bottom spot where the stem was once attached. It should smell like cantaloupe. Unripe cantaloupes have no smell.
Taste: Some grocery stores and farmer’s markets offer samples (especially on the weekend). If so, don’t pass up a free taste test.

Cantaloupe has amazing health benefits including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support. One cup provides 100% of the daily recommended allowance of Vitamin A.

The following is a great summer salad, similar to everyone’s favorite Caprese Salad.

Cantaloupe Salad
1 medium cantaloupe cut into small cubes
10-12 basil leaves, chiffonaded
1 cup fresh mozzarella cut into small pieces
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
olive oil
red wine vinegar
juice from one lime
sea salt
pepper

Toss cantaloupe, basil, cheese and onion in a bowl. Drizzle vinegar, a long pour of olive oil, and lime juice over fruit. Stir. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste. Let stand in refrigerator thirty minutes before serving. Serves 4-6.

talya
Grace Grits and Gardening

Filed Under: Food & Recipes Tagged With: healthy treats, summer cooking

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Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (Now Available!)

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