How to choose a melon (in France)
Bien choisir son melon charentais jaune
How to choose a Charentais melon
- Le poids
Bien dense, le melon doit peser lourd au creux de votre main.
Although dense, the melon should be heavy in the palm of your hand. - La couleur
Vert clair virant au jaune, le melon doit présenter des sillons vert très marqués.
Light green turning to yellow, the melon should have well defined green grooves. - La maturité
Une craquelure autour de pédoncule est signe de maturité. Ne pas confondre avec des fentes!
A crack around the stem is a sign of maturity. Do not confuse with slots! - Frais et souple
Son écorce doit être souple, ni dure, ni molle. Contrairement aux apparences le melon est fragile. À manipuler avec douceur.
The rind must be flexible, not hard or soft. Contrary to appearances, the melon is fragile. Handle gently. - Le parfum
Son parfum doit être subtile, pas trop prononcé. Une trop forte odeur révèle un melon trop avancé.
Its perfume should be subtle, not too pronounced. Too strong an odor indicates that the melon is overripe.
Clearly the French are very serious about their melons.
How to choose a melon (in the US): Go to the grocery store’s prepared foods aisle. Look for plastic tub of cubed melon fruit, free of rind. Check date. Buy and eat.
I miss France.
I’m surprised there isn’t something about male/female melons… I know there’s a difference, but can’t remember what. I want to say that the females have a smaller stem and is supposed to be better… but could be the other way around.
I can just see people at the (super)market in France grabbing several melons and going through each step. They really do!
Stephanie, yeah I remember your Dad trying to explain it to me. I tried to Google for “male female melons” but I didn’t get anything definitive.