Gardeners often hear on TV or from other people about what a Cantaloupe melon is. Few people delve into conversations about this fruit and do not know what benefits melon represents for the body. The berries are a type of pumpkin fruit. They resemble the usual melons in shape, but differ in taste and color.
Another name for the fruit is cantaloupe. It is better known in the country by its second name. It has a strong aroma and sweetish taste. In appearance, the plant appears round, but the melon is flattened on both sides.Individual berries are oval in shape.
Cantaloupe color has yellow and orange shades. The crop is covered with dark green leaves. When cut, a lot of juice is released. The melon is quite thick-walled, and the flesh has a rich orange color.
A little description
The pulp of Cantaloupe is covered with a dense peel. The skin color is yellow-green. If you look closely at it, you can see numerous stripes. At first glance, it may seem that in front of a person there is a white Muscat melon, but this is not so. Cantaloupe is distinguished by the presence of rich green stripes that cover its length.
The average length of one melon can reach 22 cm. Guinea and India are considered to be the birthplace of the fruit.
Advantages and disadvantages of the fruit
The honeydew melon is the ancestor of all melon varieties grown in Europe. Has “family” ties with Central Asian cultures. Among the positive aspects are:
- The plant easily tolerates the summer season, the climate of which is humid and not very warm.
- The retina on the peel is rough in structure. This prevents the fruits from cracking, which is typical for fruits with juicy pulp and excess moisture.
- Cantaloupe ripens several times faster, unlike most Asian varieties.
- Has a rich melon taste.
Another important advantage of the culture is resistance to many diseases. First of all, we are talking about powdery mildew. Unfortunately, during the rainy season this is typical for all melon crops. Despite this fact, Cantaloupe is rarely affected by pests.
Flaws
The melon variety has minor minor flaws. All of them do not stand out against the background of what is really important - short shelf life. Because of this, the fruit is recommended to be eaten in the first month after harvest. If the period is extended, the melon will lose its attractive appearance.In addition, its amazing sweet taste is lost.
Melon crops do not require special care. Cantaloupe is a melon with a mid-season ripening period. As mentioned above, it is not suitable for long-term storage. Despite this fact, it can be transported over long distances.
Another fruit with excellent taste
Charentais melon is a special variety of Cantaloupe. Known all over the world. The fruits are small in appearance. The scale shows from 500 g to 1 kg. The characteristics of the fruit resemble other melons. At the same time, it has a peculiar feature - a piquant taste and a persistent aroma.
Charentay is grown exclusively in France. For normal growth, development and fruiting, crops choose closed ground conditions. Almost never eaten on its own. Many chefs use it as an additional component when preparing dishes.
Useful components of melon
Few people know that Cantaloupe has medicinal abilities. After all, it is valued not only for its unusual sweet taste. The composition of Cantaloupe makes it unlike other melon varieties. Has the following components:
- inosine and carotene;
- ascorbic acid;
- silicon;
- fiber.
The sucrose content inside the pulp is several times higher than the sugar level in watermelons. Most of all it contains sucrose and carotene. It also contains iron. Its amount is 2 times higher than in chicken meat. It is many times higher than the iron content in milk.
One of the positive aspects is the presence of vitamin C. Its amount is large. The component level can be compared as follows. One Cantaloupe is equal in vitamin C content to three large and ripe watermelons.
Medicinal properties
Eating melon vegetables is beneficial when a person suffers from obesity. Melon is indicated for people with high cholesterol. Enriches the human body with vitamins if he has increased hair loss. Inosine is a component that prevents the progression of such diseases.
The potassium in melon prevents the development of hypertension. That's why Cantaloupe is so useful. Despite the sweet taste, the fruit has low calorie content. The fruit is perfect for people who are on a diet and are limited in the consumption of many foods.
Cooking with Cantaloupe
The pronounced taste of the fruit suggests consumption fresh. Due to the high juice content in the pulp, it prevents moisture loss in the heat. Melon cannot be enjoyed for a long time. Unfortunately, the longer it is stored, the faster it loses its taste.
This problem is easy to solve. To constantly enjoy melon, you can make jam or marmalade. In the future, the mass is eaten on its own or used as a filling for pies. Melon is also dried and eaten as candied fruit.
Cantaloupe produces wonderful honey, which is called bekmes. Seeds are used as a raw material for preparing vegetable oil. It turns out fragrant.
Dried fruit slices contain minimal moisture. Losing liquid, they retain the sucrose content, which makes up 70% of the total product. Depending on the drying time, the moisture content does not exceed 15%. Ready-made dried fruits have light yellow and brown shades in color. There are few dark spots; dried slices make up no more than 6% of the entire area of the finished product.
White melon
Kasaba is another melon variety that has its own characteristics. Also a honeydew melon. Unlike Cantaloupe, it has rich white flesh. If all storage conditions are provided, it can last until winter. The peculiarity of Kasaba is that keeping quality improves the taste of the fruit.
Kasaba perfectly tolerates transportation over long distances. The variety cannot replace Cantaloupe and vice versa. Every person loves both fruits equally. There are times when you want fresh Kasaba in the middle of autumn. Others prefer to enjoy Cantaloupe as a dried fruit. In any case, each variety deserves special attention.
