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Take a whiff.
It seems like an unlikely overlap, but I’ve found a commonality between American Southern cuisine and authentic Italian food. That overlap is cantaloupe. I grew up eating the peachy-orange summer melon for breakfast and brunch alongside country ham and biscuits. Italians love to pair ripe slices of cantaloupe with salty, aged ham. It makes me almost feel like I grew up in the Italian countryside. Almost.
Whether you’re Southern, Italian, or nothing of the kind, cantaloupe is a summer delicacy. When perfectly ripe, it can be transcendent. But picking the perfect melon can feel daunting.
My grandmother used to joke that to cut the melon at peak ripeness, she needed to get up in the middle of the night. Any earlier, it was underripe; and later, and it was overripe. While I loved my grandmother, she was wrong about that one—cantaloupes do not ripen after they are harvested. Like other melons, they must ripen on the vine, but they will soften as they sit on your kitchen counter.
The key to success is choosing the right melon in the first place. All you need to do is follow your nose.
Read More: The Only Way You Should Store Cantaloupe, According to a Farmer
The Sniff Test
Not to brag, but I have a keen sense of smell, so the strategy that always works best for me is the sniff test.
First, find the blossom end of the cantaloupe. It’s opposite the stem end, where the melon attached to the vine. Hold the cantaloupe up to your nose with the blossom end facing you and give it a whiff. It should smell sweet and a bit musty, like cantaloupe. It won’t be a strong smell, but noticeable when the melon is near your face. If you don’t smell anything, the cantaloupe is unripe. Leave it be.
If the smell is strong and/or a bit rotten or fermented, the cantaloupe is overripe. Leave it be. Only take home a melon with a subtle but definite aroma of sweet cantaloupe, and you’re guaranteed success.
Other Tips for Choosing a Perfectly Ripe Cantaloupe
Beyond smell, your other senses can help ensure you pick the best melon possible:
- The base color, under the netting, shouldn’t be green. This is the sign of an unripe cantaloupe.
- The stem end should be flush or just slightly dimpled. If there’s any stem left attached or a jagged edge, that means the melon was picked too early and won’t be ripe enough.
- Finally, weigh the fruit in your hands. If it feels heavy for its weight, the cantaloupe should be nice and juicy when you take a slice.
Read the original article on Simply Recipes
