Summer is here and there’s no yummier way to quench your thirst than with an ice-cold melon. It’s an easy snack whether it’s cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon because you can just cut, scoop out the seeds and eat it. For a picnic or a snack while you’re boating at the lake, watermelons add a certain festivity to any gathering. It’s a Fourth of July favorite. Texas grows great melons because of the intense summer heat. Melons high water content make them generally low in calories, approximately 25 calories per each six ounces. They also are high in vitamins A and C.

Choose your melon
Everyone always wants to know how to choose a good watermelon, so here’s my secret: Pick up the watermelon and hold it with one hand (and arm if it’s big). With the palm of your other hand, hit the melon gently. There should be a vibration or resonance in your hand. The higher the vibration, the less ripe it is, the lower the sound, the more ripe it is. If there is no resonance and only a thud, it is overripe. Also look for even stripes and a cream- or yellow-colored bottom where the melon sat in the field. For
honeydews, run your fingertips over the skin. They should have a grip to them. The stem end should yield to gentle pressure and have a fragrant smell. Cantaloupes also should have a fragrant smell; look for even netting and firm skin. All melons can be refrigerated.

Melon history
Melons have been around for thousands of years. There are recorded histories from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Tiberius of the Roman empire was particularly fond of melons. They served as the summer “water” during droughts in the ancient Middle East. By the 16th century, melons were being cultivated in Europe. Christopher Columbus is said to have brought melons to the new world on his second voyage, although there are accounts of Native Americans growing melons in the Mississippi Valley before his arrival.

Melon varieties
Most melons are of the muskmelon family. They include crenshaw, canary, honeydew, cantaloupe and casaba. Watermelons are a different breed altogether. Favorite varieties are black diamond and jubilee. Now there are seedless watermelons for us lazy folks. Icebox melons (two to three pounds) are also available to fit conveniently on the refrigerator shelf. If you want to add some color, watermelons also come with yellow or orange flesh.

Recipes

Melon Magic
Ingredients
1 ripe cantaloupe
1 ripe honeydew

Cut melons in half. Scoop out the seeds of one half of each fruit. Cover the other half and put in the fridge. Peel the skin and cut into pieces. Put melons in the blender with a little water and blend. Enjoy the ambrosia. Makes 2 cups.

Melon Salsa
Ingredients
1 cup of cantaloupe, cubed small
1 cup of honeydew, cubed small
1 serrano pepper, diced small

Pamela Boyar has been working with organic farmers for 23 years. She started a fresh-pressed juice company in 1980 and, in 1986, began distributing organically grown produce directly from the farmers to restaurants in California. Committed to support and promote the small family farm, she is currently the director of the Westlake Farmers Market, which she established in 1997. It is the highest grossing farmer’s market in Texas.