Seasonal Melons
Summer Melon Mania – Get the Scoop!
It’s officially melon season! We’ve been working with growers across the country and around the world to bring the best quality and variety to our stores, including 10 unique melons you won’t find just anywhere.
How to Pick the Perfect Melon
- Avoid melons that have bruises, cracks or soft spots.
- Note the melon’s weight. The heavier the melon, the juicier the fruit!
- The nose knows, so take a sniff. A fragrant melon is a good melon! Note: Netted varieties will have an aroma, while smooth melons won’t.
- Give the melon a little tap with the palm of your hand. If it sounds hollow, it’s ripe and ready to eat!
- Keep your melons at room temperature until cutting (they should last about 3 days).
From Casaba to Sugar Kiss, Crenshaw to Canary, we love celebrating melons of every stripe. Learn more about these sweet summer treats, along with some of our favorite ways to serve them.
1Sugar Kiss Melons
Sugar Kiss lives up to its name, with extraordinary sweetness in every bite. These melons have a netted rind and a pale orange flesh that’s so soft and creamy, it practically melts in your mouth.
How to Eat: For a spicy-sweet snack, slice and squeeze fresh lime juice overtop and drizzle with hot honey or sprinkle with Aleppo pepper.
2Casaba Melons
Oblong in shape with a bright yellow rind, Casaba Melons are sweet with a creamy, yellow-white flesh. Their flavor is mild and mellow, reminiscent of cucumbers.
How to Eat: Dice and mix into salsa with cilantro, mint, jalapeño, red onion, avocado and a generous amount of lime
3Summer Kiss Melons
With a rich, creamy texture and just the right amount of sweetness, Summer Kiss Melons have a subtle flavor and distinctive color.
How to Eat: Blend with coconut milk, lime juice, light rum and ice for a refreshing drink that tastes like a day at the beach!
4Golden Honeydew Melons
These golden melons are sweet and velvety with a floral aroma. They also have a small seed cavity, which means more fruit! Look for a slight opening at the blossom end to detect when they’re ripe.
How to Eat: We love blending these melons into margaritas.
5Canary Melons
These vibrant melons vary in shape, from oval to oblong. Firm and crisp like pears, Canary Melons have a delicate sweetness and slight tangy flavor, with notes of pineapple and banana.
How to Eat: Blend into a gazpacho with cucumber, basil and freshly ground pepper.
6Kiss Limon Melons
Perfect for hot summer days, these one-of-a-kind melons are sweet, tart and bursting with refreshing lemonade flavor! Cube or slice and enjoy as a snack or add to fruit salads for a bright burst of citrusy goodness.
7Santa Claus Melons
Also known as Christmas melons or piel de sapo (toadskin), Santa Claus melons resemble small watermelons with their green and gold-to-bright-yellow stripes (the brighter the yellow, the riper the melon). Inside, the flesh is pale green, mild and mellow—similar to honeydew, but slightly less sweet.
Mix Up Your Melon
We love how versatile melons can be. Of course, they’re delicious eaten out of hand, but have you ever tried blending cantaloupe into super-refreshing agua fresca, or mixing melon with cucumbers? These recipes are perfect for summer and are a delicious way to showcase a variety of melons.
Think Deliciously
What’s up, watermelon? This cookout classic is tasty in sweet and savory recipes alike!
