4 Advice to Choose a Others Melon Varieties

Melons are not to be ignored. That sweet, juicy flesh is undeniable in the thick summer heat no matter where you’re located. When you start growing your own melons, you open up a world of delicious flavors unrivaled by any grocery store melon. Let’s take a look at a few common and rare types of melons.

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What Is A Melon?

Melons are a beloved member of the Cucurbitaceae family. This means they’re related to squash and cucumbers. Melons are known for their sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. Botanically, the melon is a type of berry! Melons are known to have been grown by ancient Egyptians and were some of the first crops to be brought by colonizers to the Americas. A number of indigenous tribes around New Mexico have been known to grow their own cultivars derived from melons introduced to them by the Spanish. 

For the best melons, there is a short window of time between the transcendent flavor of perfectly ripe and perfectly rotten. To catch a melon at its peak, check the patch every other day when it’s getting close, looking for tell-tale signs of cracking around the stem and full aromas. Those fruits must absolutely be harvested and eaten on the same day. For a more failsafe harvest indicator, fruit is ready when it slips easily from the vine. Beware! Deer love perfectly ripe melons too, so guard your patch well!

4 Main Genera of Melons

Melon genera is a complicated subject because they can be umbrella terms for a pretty wide variety of species. The main thing to remember is that plants of the same species can cross with each other. So the species name will have to be taken into account when thinking about seed saving. Many types of melons will fall into one of these four genera.

Citrullus

Citrullus melons include our common watermelon as well as some other lesser known vines. This genus is most largely distinguished by the shape of its leaves which are deeply lobed.

Cucumis

The genus Cucumis includes both melons and cucumbers, as they are closely related. Your typical honeydew and cantaloupe fall under this category. This includes a wide range of varieties and is probably one of the most commonly grown melon genus. 

Benincasa

This genus is a little harder to come by in common gardens. There is only one member of this genus which is Benincasa hispida, also known as the wax gourd. Native to southeast Asia, it is eaten as a vegetable when mature. 

Momordica

Momordica is a slightly wider collection of melons and you may have heard of it referred to as bitter melon. Bitter melon is a staple in many Asian cuisines.  

Common Types of Melons

Watermelon, Citrullus lanatus

Watermelons are some of our favorite sticky sweet melons for the height of summer. They have a very high water content, similarly to cucumbers. Watermelons are grown in tropical to temperate regions worldwide. They produce large fruits that are typically a bright red or hot pink color on the inside (though can be white or yellow as well) with a beautiful green rind on the outside. Commonly eaten raw alongside hot dogs and hamburgers, watermelon can also be blended into a delicious beverage or pickled for a shockingly delicious and unique snack.

Cantaloupe, Cucumis melo 

Cantaloupes are sweet and tender and tend to be a bit fleshier than watermelons. Typically, they’re known for their bright orange insides with an ordinary beige rind. They love sandy soils but can be grown in many climates. Try adding cantaloupe to your charcuterie board or slicing it up into a salad!

Honeydew, Cucumis melo L. Inodorus

Honeydew melons are a close cousin of the cantaloupe - just take a look at their latin names! Honeydew is known for its green, not overly sweet flesh and performs particularly well here in the Southeast but can certainly be found growing elsewhere.

Casaba, Cucumis melo var. Inodorus

Casaba melons, yet another cousin of the honeydew and cantaloupe, is a white fleshed melon that looks more like a squash due to its textured yellow rind. Its unique flavor makes it delicious in both sweet and savory dishes and it grows best in dry, hot climates.

Rare Melon Varieties

Charentais Melon

This famous French cantaloupe is known for its powerful, flowery and fruity perfume. Its thick rind and salmon-orange flesh has a caramelized sugar flavor to its sweetness. This variety can tolerate cooler temperatures, making it a good choice for mid-western and high elevation growing locations.

Edisto 47 Melon

This cantaloupe is a Carolina favorite named for the hot and humid coastal conditions of South Carolina. It’s resistant to powdery and downy mildew and grows three- to five-pound fruits on vigorous vines.

Bradford Family Watermelon

The heirloom Bradford Family Watermelon is a super special, super rare variety. In its day, it was known as the sweetest, most flavorful watermelon right down to its dark green rind. It’s been grown by the Bradford family in South Carolina for over 100 years and so is particularly specialized to growing in that region. That being said, there’s been success in other locations as well.

Mexican Sour Gherkin

While we categorize this as a cucumber, this fruit - also known as mouse melon or cucamelon - deserves a special shout out. This rampant vine will produce dozens of one inch green and white fruits whose resemblance to watermelons will delight anyone who comes across them. While not particularly sweet like other melons, this cucumber is delicious pickled or eaten fresh.

Mountain Sweet Yellow Watermelon

That’s right! A yellow watermelon! With super sweet yellow flesh and classic black seeds, this unique watermelon found popularity in the s because it was well-adapted to the cooler growing region of the Northeast. These fruits grow to about 20-35 pounds and are a show stopper at any picnic.

Armenian Cucumber

Now, this cucumber is actually, botanically, a melon. Though, culinarily, is most often used as a cucumber. But its hallmark thin skins and cucumbery taste makes it delectable in salads or beverages alike.

Melons are satisfying to grow AND eat. Whether you’ve got a sweet tooth or prefer a milder dessert, there's a three- to thirty-pound botanical berry (melon) for you.

Monroe Organic Farms is legendary around Denver/Boulder for a handful of reasons, but one major reason local chefs flock to the market… melons. I assure you, if you have not yet tried one from Monroe, then you have yet to experience the juiciness, sweetness, and depth of flavor of a perfectly ripe melon. It's about time (mid-July) when Monroe lays tarps on the ground at the market and covers them with their beautiful fruit - one of my absolute favorite scenes at the market!

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Others Melon Varieties.

Kyle Monroe is an expert when it comes to growing melons because his family has been growing them on the farm for over four generations. The Greely Wonder muskmelon in particular is their most famous and unique varietal - they brought it back from extinction after seeding and then planting some fifty-year-old seeds they found in the barn!

What’s the difference between a muskmelon and a cantaloupe? Cantaloupe is actually just a variety of muskmelon! But the type of muskmelon that we commonly call cantaloupe has been “designed” for grocery stores because they can be shipped well. The muskmelons that Monroe grows look similar to a cantaloupe, but they are stronger and sweeter in taste. Because of their high sugar content, these varieties of melons are almost never seen on grocery store shelves (the higher the sugar content, the sooner the melon needs to be eaten, so they are difficult to distribute).

Muskmelons were originally grown in Egypt along the Nile River.  They love sandy soil, hot days, cool nights and loads of water. Monroe Organic Farms is very sandy, and they often find fossilized mollusks in the rocks there making this farm the ideal growing conditions for these melons. Now, that certainly does not mean growing melons is easy! It’s been a process to work and re-work the farming methodology.

When melon growing has been in your family for over four generations, it goes without saying that you become the ultimate authority on picking out the ideal melon - a question many of us ask ourselves this time of year. Sam Caplan and Kyle Monroe helped us answer this question by breaking down melon selection into a few simple tips:

How to Choose the Perfect Melon in 5 Simple Tips

1. Choose when you want to eat your melon! Today, tomorrow, or in a few days?

Melon tips (Everything but watermelon):

Immediate eating/ or immediate prep: smell the melon where it was pulled from the vine. Is it fragrant? is the rind more orange colored than green or is it totally orange? that's the one.

A few days away: choose a less fragrant melon that has a little more green coloring than orange on the rind. Store it on your counter for quicker ripening or in your fridge for prolonged ripening.

Watermelon Tips: 

Look for the "field spot" which is usually a yellow or creamy spot which means the melon was allowed to ripen on the vine

2. Look for sugar scars created by the bees! The more scars, the sweeter the watermelon.

3. Knock on the watermelon! Do you hear a dull sound? Pick another melon as this one won’t have the best texture. Do you hear a nice echoey, resounding knock? That's the perfect texture!

4. For all Melons:  Never choose a melon with soft spots! It will be over-ripe and on its way to the compost bin.

Other Notes On Picking/Consuming Melons: 

Honey dew is a little more challenging in terms of choosing the perfect one. Push on the rind, if you find resistance and the skin feels waxy, that's a winner!  If the skin is super hard, the melon needs to ripen more. green spots usually mean the honeydew is under ripe.  

For Muskmelons: Cut them open and let them sit for ten minutes.  Like a fine wine, they need to breathe to enhance their flavor. Chilling them is optional.

For Preparation/Storing: The Monroe’s like to freeze any melon in chunks and then grate them to make shaved ice! “There's nothing like sitting down at the table on a hot day with half-a-melon and a spoon.” The Monroe’s take great delight watching their young daughter eat a watermelon with her grandpa, who dedicated his life's work to growing this magical fruit!

Sources (Other than the Monroe family!)

1. https://www.westword.com/restaurants/monroe-organic-farms-brings-back-greeley-wonder-musk-melon-

2. https://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/oregon-vegetables/melons-cantaloupe-muskmelon-honeydew-crenshaw-casaba-etc-0

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