Saturday, September 25, 2010

Season 2: Week 16: September 20 : Special Comment on Canteloupes

When is a cantaloupe ripe?
Everyone has told us that a cantelope is ripe when the stem just falls off.

last year we grew canelopes on our house and wainted and waited, and waited, and when the stem fell off, some time in late September, lo and behold, the cantelouopes were overripe inside. Mud Creek had cantelopes and there were many in the firld that had rotten stems and were overripe and there were a few that still had the stems secure. I muscled a stem off the fruit and was told that it wasn't ripe yet. But it looked yellow and smelled wonderful and guess what, it was still overripe with a *firm* stem. Cantelopes are not difficult to grow, just difficult to know when to harvest.
We have about 8 cantelopues at home and we are watching tehm closely.