I Asked 4 Farmers How to Pick the Best Cantaloupe, And They All Said the Same Thing

Because you deserve better than mealy, bland melon.

It’s tough to deny a slice of a fresh, ripe, juicy cantaloupe during peak season. (That’s June through August, by the way, with the best of the bunch popping up in mid-July, according to cantaloupe farmer John Gingerich.) Still, a fair amount of Allrecipes fans have written in to tell us that they approach cantaloupes with a bit of skepticism—and we certainly understand why. After falling victim to one (or several) too many sub-par restaurant fruit salads featuring sad, flavorless honeydew, cantaloupe, and grapes, this subset of home cooks have admitted that they tend to have trust issues 

Unlike tender fruits like berries and peaches, cantaloupe rinds are quite adept at camouflaging the quality of the fruit hiding out inside. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to tell which melons are delightful…and which are duds. During the heart of harvest season, we caught up with a handful of cantaloupe farmers and industry experts to score their secrets for how to separate the best from the rest.  

Meet the Farmers

• John Gingerich, a Summertown, Tennessee-based cantaloupe farmer
• Katy Green, a San Diego, California-based produce field inspector at Whole Foods Market
• Coy Hancock, hydroponic farmer at The Hancock Farm in Bartow, Georgia
• Hunter Slade, a Cordele, Georgia-based sales representative for Syngenta Vegetable Seeds, who works directly with many cantaloupe farmers on a weekly basis during growing season

The Best Way to Choose the Sweetest Cantaloupe, According to Farmers

Before we dive into the easiest ways to tell if a cantaloupe is ripe, it’s important to note that there are two main types of cantaloupes, according to produce field inspector Katy Green: Melons that “slip” from the vine and melons that are  “clipped” from the vine. 

• Slip melons have about a quarter-sized circle and indentation at one end of the melon, where the vine used to be attached. These naturally release from the plant when they are mature and ready to eat.
• Clipped melons have a short stem attachment on one end of the melon. Clipped melons do not release from the vine and must be cut based on a quick determination of maturity by the harvester. 

Because clipped melons are often picked before they are fully ripe, they don’t emit a strong smell—and don’t offer much flavor. So an easy way to select the best cantaloupe is by giving it a smell, hydroponic farmer Coy Hancock, seed sales rep Hunter Slade, and Gingerich agree. When you pick up a cantaloupe and smell the blossom end; the opposite side from where the stem was attached. A ripe cantaloupe should offer a sweet, fruity, floral and lightly musky scent. Compare the aroma of the cantaloupe you’re holding with a few others in the stack. Select the sweetest-smelling on, Gingerich recommends.

“I always smell them at the store until I find one I like! It might feel a little silly, but your nose knows,” Hancock says.

Other Signs of a High-Quality Melon

These additional features that can usually offer a clue that a cantaloupe is worthy of a spot in your cart:

• Perform a spot check for a stem. As we mentioned, clipped cantaloupes are less likely to be ripe and ready. “On the farm, we know a cantaloupe is ripe when it slips right off the vine,” Hancock explains. “At the store, look for a clean, slightly indented area where the stem used to be. If there’s still a bit of stem attached, it was probably picked too early and won’t ripen any further.”
• Do a skin check. Healthy cantaloupes are covered in coarse netting that’s consistent around the melon, Slade and Green confirm. “If it's overly smooth or the melon feels too soft, skip it,” Hancock says. As for the color between the light tan netting, “it should be mostly a creamy, light orange or golden color. If it’s mostly green, the melon isn’t ripe yet,” Hancock says. 
• Give it a lift. A cantaloupe that’s dense and feels heavy for its size generally has more juice—and more flavor—than its neighbors that are the same size but lighter, Green and Slade tell us.
• Knock, knock. Pretend like you’re knocking on a door, only do so on the rind. The best cantaloupes offer a deep, solid, resonant sound. Underripe or overripe ones often sound more high, full and hollow.

What to Avoid When Selecting a Cantaloupe

Watch out for these red flags that your fruit might be “off:”

• Soft or mushy spots
• Green skin
• An attached stem
• Sour, fermented, or otherwise foul aroma
• Bruises, cracks, or cuts
• Toothpaste (bluish green) color under the netting

How to Enjoy Cantaloupe, Farmer-Style

Green is a firm believer that “if you get a really great cantaloupe, there’s not much better than eating it fresh.” 

Hancock agrees, adding that a chilled ripe cubes of cantaloupe hit the spot, “especially for breakfast on a hot summer morning,” he says. “I know some folks like to get creative by grilling it, turning it into soup, or making jam, but for me, simple and sweet is the way to go.”

• Remove the seeds and membranes and use half of a melon as a vessel for vanilla ice cream (Gingerich’s favorite cantaloupe-based treat!), cottage cheese, or chicken salad.
• Blend cubes of cantaloupe into smoothies or chilled soups.
• Dice the flesh to add to fruit salads, skewers, and salsas.
• Fold puréed or diced cantaloupe into quick bread or muffin batter.
• Wrap peeled wedges in slices of prosciutto.