Mmmm, Melons!

I don’t think anyone would argue that our area has been experiencing something of a drought this summer (though that long steady rain last night was certainly welcome), and drought can cause havoc with a lot of things we grow. But we have a water supply at Ritter Farm this year (thankfully), and that has allowed the corn and melon crops to flourish.

The melons are just starting to roll in; there probably won’t be enough for everyone to get one on any particular Saturday, but there’s a melon checklist at the greenhouse, and using that, we should all be able to enjoy a succulent melon or two.

Botanically, a melon is a fruit and a berry, but obviously it’s not what we usually think of when we think of as berries. It is nice to have some fruit from the CSA, though. We’ve gotten muskmelons (the family that includes cantaloupes and casaba melons) for distribution, but I’ve noticed a few watermelons at the greenhouse, too.

All melons are originally from Africa and Asia, but they began appearing in Italy as early as the Roman Empire. They were domesticated early, both in the Old World and the New World, and apparently we have a pope’s gardener to thank for the development of the cantaloupe in the 18th century. He grew them in Cantalupo nel Sannio, Italy; hence the name.

Melons came early to the New World; settlers were growing them in the 1600s, and the Spanish introduced them to Native Americans, who developed their own melon cultivars in the American Southwest.

But enough of melon history—and this isn’t an item that needs recipes; just slice one open, scoop out the seeds, and enjoy a wedge. Sweet and tasty, it’s also good for you—melons are cholesterol-free and have very little sodium; they are a very good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium. I like mine with a scoop of cottage cheese in the concavity, which makes for a delicious summertime lunch.