Cantaloupe, is a muskmelon, as are the Casaba, honeydew,
Persian and Crenshaw melons. Growing up I loved cantaloupe
more than watermelon. Now, my daughter who is three, can
eat half a cantaloupe at a time and definitely rivals my love of
this rough skinned melon. I chill cantaloupe, cut it into large
cubes after removing the seeds and rind, and keep it in a
covered container for the kids to munch on. It's rich in Vitamin
A and Vitamin C, as well as potassium and folic acid, but it's
low in calories, fat and sodium. Who needs candy?
Cantaloupe should have a yellowish orange color and be just
slightly soft ONLY on the stem end. This end should also be
a rounded small cavity with no pieces of stem left. This would
mean it was picked before it was ripe. There may be some
bleaching on the skin where the melon was laying on the soil,
and that is okay, but it shouldn't be green or have dark, soft
spots.
Cantaloupes are ripe when they pull off the vine with ease...no
pulling should be necessary. You'll want to watch the fruit
carefully and harvest daily once they start to ripen. Some
people "thump" their melons and listen for a hollow sound
which means they are ripe. This of course, is not as easy
as it sounds, if you've never listened to a melon before! You
can also look for the base of the stem to look cracked, which
is a sign it will pull off easily. Refrigerate melons immediately
after harvesting or bringing home from the market.
To freeze cantaloupe in balls, slices or cubes, use only firm,
ripe fruit. Cut the melon in half, remove any seeds and cut out
the fruit from the rind. Place melon directly in containers, label,
date and freeze. If you want the melon to keep it's shape, place
the pieces on a cookie sheet and freeze overnight. The next
morning, transfer the frozen fruit to plastic freezer bags or
containers. Return to the freezer and use as needed. The
frozen melon should keep up to a year in the freezer.
A unique way to eat is cantaloupe is to grill it first. Cut it into
wedges, lay carefully on the grill just long enough for the
grill to "mark it" and it will soften up and caramelize the natural
sugar. Serve with vanilla ice cream for a real treat.
Cantaloupe Soup
Ingredients:
3 cups diced cantaloupe
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1/2 cup soy milk, half and half or whole milk
In a food processor or blender, combine 2 cups of
cantaloupe, orange juice, lemon juice and ginger.
Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir
in milk and remaining cup of cantaloupe, diced small.
Serve chilled, garnished with slivers of candied ginger,
if desired. Note: I like the vanilla soymilk.
Strawberry-Cantaloupe Soup
Ingredients:
1/2 medium cantaloupe; peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 cup fresh strawberries or raspberries
1 small ripe banana; peeled, and cut into thick slices
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1/2 cup nonfat or regular vanilla yogurt
In food processor or blender, process cantaloupe, berries,
banana and juice until smooth. Add yogurt. Process until
well combined. Serve immediately, or cover and chill until
serving time. This recipe yields three one cup servings.
Cantaloupe Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup orange juice
1 cup peeled, seeded and cubed cantaloupe
honey to taste
1 cup ice
Place the juice, fruit and honey in a blender. Blend on high
speed for 30 seconds. Add ice and blend until smooth.
Cantaloupe with Mint Syrup
Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 tbsp. mint, crushed
1 cup blueberries
2 cups cantaloupe balls
mint for garnish
Combine sugar, water and crushed mint in a saucepan.
Boil for three minutes. Strain and chill. Add blueberries
and cantaloupe balls to the sugar mixture. Serve as
in pretty dishes with a spoonful of whipped topping.
Cantaloupe Cream Pie
Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp. flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup cantaloupe, pureed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 8" pastry shell, baked
1 cup whipped cream
Combine the sugar and flour in a saucepan; add eggs,
mixing well. Stir in the cantaloupe puree. Cook over
medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly,
until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat,
and stir in the vanilla and butter. Cool. Pour cooled filling
into the baked pastry shell; spread the top evenly with
whipped cream. Chill and serve.
Cantaloupe Bread
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup pecans, chopped
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ripe cantaloupe
Preheat oven to 325F (160C). Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf
pan. In large bowl combine the flour, salt, baking soda,
baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and nuts. In another
large bowl beat the eggs until light and frothy. Add the oil,
sugar and vanilla, mixing well. Cut the rind from cantaloupe;
and cut the melon into 2-inch chunks. Puree in blender or
food processor until smooth. Measure 2 cups puree and
add to the egg/oil mixture. Add the flour mixture to the
cantaloupe mixture and stir until just combined. Do not
over mix. Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour,
or until it tests done. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before
removing from the pan. Cool on a wire rack.
Cantaloupe Preserves
Ingredients:
6 pounds cantaloupe peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
8 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cup golden yellow raisins
Place the cantaloupe cubes in a large bowl. Toss with the sugar
and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to stand at room temperature
for 8 - 10 hours. Add to a stockpot with remaining ingredients. Bring
all to a boil and cook until the mixture starts to thicken, stirring
constantly. Remove from the heat and skim off any foam. Ladle
into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2" space at top. Seal and process for
10 minutes. Makes 7 or 8 half pints.
Cantaloupe Preserves
Ingredients:
2 pounds firm, ripe cantaloupe
4 cup sugar
juice of 1 lemon
Peel cantaloupe and cut in thin slices 1" long.
Mix sugar and cantaloupe. Stand overnight.
Add lemon juice and cook until clear in a large
pot. Pour into hot jars. Adjust lids at once and
process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes.
Makes about 2 pints
More on Melon:
Watermelon Recipes
A Fruit Buffet
Fruit Salads
About the Author:
Brenda Hyde is an avid gardener,
freelance writer, mom and wife. She is owner and editor of
Old Fashioned Living.com.
