2torial #0575: Learn2 Pick a Melon Cantaloupes, not cannonballs! And honeydews, not honeydon'ts! An experienced gardener knows the best way to pick a ripe melon: grasp it firmly, give a tug and a twist. If it falls easily off the vine into your hand, it's ripe. If you haven't managed to sow that melon patch you've been daydreaming about, stop by your local farmer's market or the neighborhood grocery. While not all varieties of melon follow the same guidelines, the following tips will help you choose among the cantaloupes and honeydews with confidence. When buying in season, check around town for great deals: prices often plummet as quality and availability peak. Out-of-season buying usually means paying more for less, but you might get lucky. Walk through the market stand Don't look. Don't touch. Just breeze through and breathe in. If you are seized by the sweet perfume of ripe melons, follow your nose to the source. If you find several varieties, sniff out the aromatic one. Not drawn to anything yet? Be patient. Learn to see   Looks aren't everything. But in the case of common melons, they can tell you quite a lot. A beige-skinned honeydew with distinct green veins reveals immaturity; a pale yellow version with bright, lemon-colored areas suggests time on the vine.   Cantaloupes are similar: they're unripe when the skin beneath the textured "web" is green, ripe when orange or gold.   Another mark of desirability is a patch that's slightly flat and bleached in color. Melons that develop on the vine flatten under their own weight, and lose color where they sit on hot soil. In general, stem ends should be moist, not moldy. Have a feel, but don't crush it A good melon is firm, but not rock hard. It yields very slightly to pressure but has no soft spots. Sponginess means the fruit is too far gone. Shake them up a bit When a honeydew is fully ripe, the fibrous net that attaches the seeds to the flesh breaks down, allowing the seeds to rattle around. Ripe cantaloupes rattle only occasionally, so it's an unreliable indicator. Sound them out Some swear by the thump test. Hold your dominant hand as if ready to knock on a door. Deliver two or three good thumps to the round side of a melon. The sound should be deep and thick, indicating a dense, full fruit. A higher hollow sound can mean insufficient moisture, among other things. Follow your intuition Seeds rattle but there's no aroma? Smells divine but looks way too green? A first-rate fruit needn't exhibit all of these signs to be a winner. The object is to be familiar with all indications of ripeness, which will enable you to choose a terrific melon. -end- Learn More!