Melon Mania
by American Way Staff
Shades of Melon
From green to orange and back again, melon-inspired goods will have
you and your home looking sweet this summer.
1. Tie it up. Beaucoup organdy ribbon in honeydew
or watermelon. $32 for 50 meters of 3/4-inch ribbon. (877)
988-2328, www.beaucoupribbon.com
2. Blooming with color. Grecian Key and Whiz Bang
daylilies in melon-y shades, $3 to $6. (612) 756-2863, www.alldaylilies.com
3. Fabric of life. Fifties-inspired fabric in
melon from the Repro Depot. (877) 738-7632, www.reprodepot.com
4. Paint the town (er, room). Sherwin-Williams's
Delicious "Melon," Behr's "Honeydew," or Benjamin Moore's "Melon
Popsicle." To find a retailer near you, visit www.sherwin-williams.com, www.behr.com, or www.benjaminmoore.com.
5. Take a sip. Japanese Ceramic Teapot Set, $100.
(650) 341-7391, www.zensuke.com
6. Pretty in pink. OPI's Melon of Troy (shown),
$6, and Essie's Watermelon, $5. (310) 276-9532, www.adiscountbeauty.com
Beyond Cantaloupe
Bored by the usual, run-of-the-mill supermarket melons? Give an
heirloom variety - or a new hybrid - a try on your table.
7. Instead of schlepping the weighty ones back
from the store, why not turn your yard into a melon patch? Amy
Goldman's Melons for the Passionate Grower (Artisan, $25)
provides inspiration as you plant melon varieties sold by Seed
Savers Exchange, including the rare French heirloom Delice
de Table and the Golden Midget
Watermelon, first introduced in 1959. (563) 382-5990,
www.seedsavers.org
8. A French cousin of the cantaloupe, the
Charentais entertains the nose with its perfume
scent, while the Galia (shown) more than satisfies
with its sinfully delicious flavor. $6 each. (888) 674-2642,
www.diamondorganics.com
9. The African Horned Melon is a
lot sweeter than it looks - and those spikes are sure to add to the
breakfast-table conversation. $40 for six. (800) 588-0151,
www.melissas.com
Choose Well
Put the "Which one is fresh?" confusion behind you. "It's always
[funny] to see people thumping all the time," says James Parker,
produce specialist for Whole Foods Market. He fills us in on what
you need to know to pick the best of the lot - no thumping
required.
Press (gently). Push your finger into the blossom
end (the end opposite the stem). If it's ripe, it'll have a bit of
give.
Tail end. Give the stem end a look-see: If the
melon is ripe, there won't be a stem. Still there on a honeydew or
muskmelon? If you can remove it with ease, that baby is good to
go.
Breathe deep. For honeydews and muskmelons, the
sniff test is a great golden rule (if they haven't been sitting in
the fridge). Ripe honeydews will have a sweet candy smell, and
muskmelons will have their namesake musky scent.
Color me ripe. Honeydews go from pale green to
yellow as they ripen. For watermelons, gloss over all that green
and head straight for the whitish spot where it sat growing on the
ground; if there's a yellow tint to it, you've got a good one.
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