When purchasing a cantaloupe you often want to be able to eat it with in a few days of buying it. Picking a ripe cantaloupe will make that possible. This is a guide to selecting a good cantaloupe.
My father passed on his guide to selecting a good one as follows:
Remember your hand when selecting loupes.
A - Aroma should be pleasing at the stem.
N - Netting, there should be a lot on the surface of the loupe.
D - Depression, the stem base should sink in a little.
I have always picked good cantaloupes using this as a guide.
By Susanne from Boiling Springs, PA
My son works in the produce section of one of our local grocery stores and he says to look at the "squiggles" on the outside of a cantaloupe. If they are close together, it's not ready. If there is a good amount of space between the "squiggles", it's ripe! Enjoy!
By Pam T
Smell the end of the cantaloupe. You should be able to smell the sweetness.
By Ellen from Holden, MO
When choosing a cantaloupe I smell it on the stem end. If it smells like cantaloupe I know it's ready to eat. If selecting a cantaloupe that I want in a couple days I choose a nice firm one and then let it ripen in my pantry until it smells like a cantaloupe on the stem end.
Source: I learned this as a farm girl growing up in South Dakota.
By Judy from Aurora, MN
My mother always told me to sniff the end of the melon where the stem was attached. If you can smell cantaloupe, it's ripe. The stronger the smell, the riper it is. This has worked for me every time.
Source: I learned this from my mom, an old farm girl!
By Sandy from Memphis, TN
In selecting a good cantaloupe, look for a good orange coloring under the lace of the skin and no soft spots on the ends.
By Carol from Hamilton, MT
You should hear a hollow sound when you slap the cantaloupe with the palm of your hand.
By Donna from Cherryvale, KS
I always make sure the cantaloupe has a yellow spot and I smell it. If it smells like a cantaloupe, then it's surely going to be a ripe one.
Source: I heard this tip on a TV show.
By Judy from Pierce, NE
A produce man once told me "the stronger the cantaloupe smell, the riper the melon". It's true.
By missysmom from Nokomis, AL
Like ThriftyFun on Facebook
