Harvest melons when small cracks seem within the stem the place it joins the fruit. As soon as the cracks circle the stem and the stem appears gotten smaller, the melon will ruin off with a slight twist. If greater than gentle effort is wanted to take away from the vine, it isn’t ripe.
When to Harvest Melons
- Harvest smooth-skinned muskmelons—which come with honeydew, Crenshaw, and casaba–once they flip cream-colored. The blossom finish will give relatively when pressed, and the fruit will readily become independent from the stem.
- Harvest net-skinned cantaloupe when the rind netting adjustments from gray-green to creamy and the background turns golden. The fruit could have a sweet-musky aroma, and the stem will slip simply from the fruit.
- Harvest watermelon when the bottom spot–the place the melon rests at the flooring–turns a creamy yellow and the stem turns brown and starts to curve.
- Melons at the similar vine generally ripen over a brief time period. Once the primary melon is ripe, the others will come to reap inside of 3 to 4 weeks.
- After the primary melon is harvested, reduce on watering—simply sufficient to stay the vines from wilting; this may listen sugars within the fruit.
Learn how to Know a Melon Is Ripe
Listed here are some basic laws for judging the ripeness of a melon:
- Odor – the melon could have a robust, “musky” or perfumey aroma on the stem-end of the melon.
- Pores and skin — the melon’s pores and skin colour will exchange, from inexperienced to yellow or tan for muskmelons and cantaloupes; the bottom of a watermelon will exchange from inexperienced to creamy the place it touches the bottom.
- Stem – the stems will separate or slip from the fruit with little effort. First, a concentric crack will seem the place the stem and the fruit meet then the stem will utterly separate (known as “full slip”). When indicators of slip seem the fruit is ripe and will have to be picked and eaten inside of a couple of days; don’t let the fruit flip comfortable and gentle.
Learn how to Harvest Melons
- An absolutely ripe melon will become independent from the vine with gentle power. You’ll be able to additionally reduce melons from the vine with a pointy knife, lawn pruner or lopper.
- Depart an inch of stem hooked up to the fruit to stay it from rotting in the event you don’t plan to make use of a harvested melon right away.
Extra recommendations on rising melons at Learn how to Develop Muskmelon or Cantaloupe and likewise at Learn how to Develop Wintry weather Melons.
Learn how to Retailer Melons
- For highest taste, permit a melon to relaxation for an afternoon or two earlier than serving.
- Retailer entire ripe melons within the fridge for as much as every week to keep away from spoiling; reduce melons will stay for as much as 3 days. When you’ve got ripe melons you’ll’t use right away, cube or reduce the flesh into balls and freeze for slushies or chilly soup.
- Retailer melon slices in a perforated plastic bag in a fridge. You’ll be able to acquire perforated plastic luggage or make your individual via punching 20 holes in a medium-size bag; use a hollow punch or sharp object.
- Melons will have to be saved chilly and wet (50°F/10°C and 95 p.c relative humidity). Developing chilly and wet garage is a problem: fridges give you the chilly, but in addition have dry air.
- Melons are vulnerable to chilling harm at temperatures under 50°F; chilling harm signs come with floor pitting, water loss, yellow, browning of rinds, lowered sweetness, and fast deterioration.
Extra pointers at Learn how to Develop Melons.
