Summer Melons Arrive at the Market

Piel de Sapo melons are widely grown in Spain, where they originated. They are shaped like a football, and have blotchy green skin with the occasional yellow belly, which is probably why their name means "toad skin" in Spanish. Like many melons grown in Mediterranean climates, the Piel de Sapos are a success in California soil, and are touted as the sweetest melon at the market.

"The ones that have yellow are the sweetest" said Karen Bezerra of Happy Boy Farms, one of the two farms now bringing melons to the market. "If you have the patience to go through them all, you'll find the best one."

With a name like "toad skin" and a superlative like "sweetest of all," my curiosity could not be quelled unless I tried it myself, so I dove into the melon crate in search of yellow spots. Sure enough, a few of the Piel de Sapos had that tell-tale yellow splotch, and I picked out the most brilliant ones I could find for three dollars.

When sliced in half, they are light green inside, with orange seeds which scoop out easily, giving way to a well of extremely sweet juice. This melon is sweeter than a honeydew, almost as juicy as a watermelon, and has the soft flesh of a cantaloupe. The easiest way to eat them is by scooping out the flesh with a spoon, but if you want to be polite and share, slice it up into cubes. Putting the melon cubes in a bowl is highly recommended. If you do eat it in slices as you would a watermelon, you may want to do so outside or standing over the sink because the juice of a ripe Piel de Sapo will drip down your arms and onto the floor.

Since this melon is so sweet and has so much juice, it is a fantastic additive to a smoothie. Dice it up small and add to a berry and banana smoothie, or try blending it with ice, water, mint, a squeeze of lemon and a little sugar for a refreshing summertime drink.

Also available at the market are the French Charentais melons. These are round, about the size of a large grapefruit, and with the netted skin of a cantaloupe, with pretty green stripes. They are extremely aromatic, and have a light orange flesh with a delicate flavor.

Pinnacle Organics is another vendor bringing melons to the Aptos and Downtown markets. They have a florescent yellow canary melon which is a sister of the Piel de Sapo, and Galia melons, a honeydew-cantaloupe hybrid.

Melons should be available at local markets through September.

Melon Tips and Tid Bits:
When choosing your melons, don't be turned off by brown scar-like markings on the skin. These scars are caused by the skin bursting while it grows, and usually indicate a sweeter melon. 

Choose melons that are fragrant, heavy, and sound hollow when you knock on them.

Eating melon along with cheese, bananas or lima beans creates a complete protein even though melons are low in amino acids.

Orange-fleshed melons like the Charentais are high in Vitamin A.

Eat melon soon after it is cut. If chilled, it will stay fresh for about 24 hours, but there is nothing like a recently cut, slightly chilled melon on a hot summer day.