Week #11 - 2014 FFF CSA - What's in the Box - Marvelous Melons

As we contemplate the frosty weather forecast, we have decided to harvest the majority of our melons this week as they won't make it through the projected frost on Thursday. Some are fully ripe and ready, while others may need to ripen a little in your fridge. Better that they are safely with you, then risking losing them all! We grew three types of melons this year, watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melons - mainly as they are typically the three most popular. Below I have tried to give you some pointers on how to tell if a melon is ripe: 

Cantaloupe - You can use three of your five senses to see if a cantaloupe is ready to eat. First smell it, a ripe cantaloupe will smell sweet and musky. If it is not ripe.. you won't smell anything at all. Then push with your finger (gently) on the opposite side to the stem. Use your thumb and press down. You want it to give a little. Finally take a look, cantaloupes are unripe when the skin beneath the textured 'web' is green and ripe when orange or golden. 

Honeydew Melon - The best way to tell when honeydew melons are perfectly ripe is to feel the melons. Ripe melons have some very fine veining that you can only detect by touch. The melon should not be soft or scarred in any areas and should be somewhat fragrant. Again, the side opposite to the stem should give a little when you press on it and the skin begins to take on a creamy yellow/cream appearance.

Watermelons: It is extremely difficult to tell if a watermelon is ripe by just looking; it must be examined. Store the harvested fruits at 50 degrees to 60 degrees F. Here are indications you can look for: 

1. Thump it. If the watermelon sounds hollow (if you hear a dull thump/thud), the melon is usually ripe. This is difficult for less-gifted ears. The unripe melon will have a tighter, metallic ringing sound. 

2. Look for the spot where the melon rested on the ground; a yellow-white, yellow or a cream-yellow color spot suggests ripeness and a white or pale green spot indicates immaturity. A green watermelon will have a white bottom; a ripe melon will have a cream- or yellow-colored bottom. . 

3. The rind where the fruit laid on the soil should toughen and resist denting with a fingernail when the melon is ripe. Scratch the surface of the rind with your thumbnail. If the outer layer slips back with little resistance, showing a green-white color under the rind, the watermelon is ripe.

4. Press on it. If the watermelon feels like it gives a little, it's ripe.

5. Rely on your nose, and check for a melon with strong fragrance. Breath deeply and follow your nose to a sweet ripe melon. Next, look for a melon that is heavy for its size, because if you have two melons of equal size, the heavier one is almost assuredly the riper and better tasting melon.

6. Still confused? Guess. All indicators will not always work. Take your best shot and go with it. 

So... What (else) is in the Box this week?

• Rhubarb
• Swiss Chard
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Beets
• Turnip or Kohlrabi
• Beans - for full shares only
• Ground Cherries
• Melons (cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon) New!
• Kale
• Carrots
• Peppers (sweet and hot)
• Onions
• Leeks
• Potatoes
• Peas - for the half shares only
• Herbs (oregano, chives, rosemary, cilantro)

Note: As next week (September 16th & 17th) is the last week of the CSA, please ensure that all boxes are returned and that you bring with you bags to pack your last delivery of vegetables into. 

We pick the vegetables within 24 hours of the box being delivered. We do rinse the produce but it would be prudent to wash all vegetables when you get them home. Keeping the herbs (ends) in a cup of clean water will keep them fresh longer.

Please return your empty box along with all re-usable containers (ice cream pails, plastic containers, etc) so that we can reuse them all over again. 

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