"honeydew" news and stories

By this time of the year, markets and grocery stores are overflowing with a gorgeous array of melons. There are a few ways to know when your melon is ripe. They involve understanding that there are two classes of melon: the muskmelons and the watermelons.

P-tooey! Watermelon would be perfect if not for those pesky seeds.

Luckily, Instructables provides a great tutorial on how to remove most (key word: most) of the seeds from your average watermelon. It's easy and quick, with no fancy tools needed.

Or, if you're feeling ca-razy, you could inject your watermelon with a pre-mixed martini (yes, you'll need a syringe - it's a little creepy, but worth it), let it chill for an hour, and indulge in some alcoholic fruit. Just keep it away from the kids.

At first glance, especially with this interior photo, this fruit looks like a cantaloupe. It's not. It's an orange-flesh honeydew melon. I first spotted these unusual yellow-skinned melons at the market this week. They were simply labeled "Orange Flesh," not as a distinct type of melon, but they smelled delicious, so I thought I would give them a try. Apparently, another name for these is the Temptation Melon and they are actually a hybrid between cantaloupes and honeydews. It has a smooth, thin yellow skin and a creamy orange interior that is both juicy and sweet - combining the defining traits of both melon types, though it actually tastes more like honeydew than cantaloupe. I highly recommend picking one up if you can find them.

To bring something more unusual than a floral arrangement to decorate the table, try making and edible centerpiece. The DiY Network has a brief tutorial on turning heads of cabbage and zucchini squash into beautiful, blooming cacti.

You can also try your own "floral" arrangements by using a cookie cutter to punch out fruit in the shapes of stars and flowers. If you're not feeling crafty, though, you can always buy an Edible Arrangement. They're bouquets of festively arranged fruit "flowers" in attractive baskets and pitchers. A few of their arrangements are dressed up with chocolate covered strawberries, though the most prominent fruits are honeydew, cantaloupe and pineapple.