Melons

Harvest Time: August through September

Lil Loupe

Goddess Melons

Superstar

Gold Star Melon

Maverick Muskmelon

Ripening Melons Store slightly under-ripe melons in a pierced paper bag at room temperature for a few days. Adding an apple to the bag will coax the fruit into ripeness. A ripe melon will give slightly when pressed on the stem end, and will produce a delicate fragrance from the blossom end — once it does so, store in the refrigerator. Storing Ripe, Uncut Melons Despite their hardy appearance, melons are quite perishable. Keep ripe melons away from other fruit so that the ethylene gas that they produce does not speed up the fruit's ripening. Uncut ripe melons should keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Storing Cut Melons When storing a halved melon, leave the seeds in to help keep it fresh. Once you've cut into a melon, wrap the remainder in plastic and it should keep in the fridge for about 3 days.