In the Store with Sigona’s Featuring: Local Cantaloupe

Keeping cool in the heat with sweet, juicy melons

The heat wave we’re experiencing around here in the Bay area is expected to continue for at least the next few days, leaving us looking for ways to keep cool and refresh ourselves.  Heavy fall foods are out of the question while summer still holds on for a bit longer.

Melons are the perfect snack or dessert for this kind of weather.  Because they are so high in water content, they are filling and refreshing without feeling heavy.  That also makes melons a great go-to food for a pre- or post-workout meal, too.

Right now we are getting some really beautiful melons into the store – aromatic, sweet, juicy, and flavorful! We’ve got a bounty you can choose from.  Most of the varieties we have coming in are from Turlock, where growing conditions are ideal.  Hot days and warm nights result in juicier melons with a higher sugar content.

When you come into the store, look for honeydew, cantaloupe, orange flesh melons, Galias, Crenshaws and Sharlyn melons.  In addition to those varieties just arriving from the Turlock Fruit Company, we’re also bringing in a few other outstanding fruits such as the Tuscan melon and the French melon. You may find it hard to choose only one variety!

Here’s some quick information about some of the melons you’ll find in the store, including a few of the less common heirloom varieties.

• Honeydews tend to be one of the sweetest melons; they have a pale green or jade-colored flesh and creamy rind. Fully ripe melons have a honey flavor, are very juicy and have a very tender texture.

• The orange-fleshed honeydew has a smooth outside skin like the green, but it has a definite orange hue. This melon has rich, heavy sweet aromas, dense cantaloupe-colored flesh with honey sweetness and hints of herbs like herb de Provence, lavender and rosemary. It is a staff favorite at Sigona’s.

• The Tuscan melon has a firm, dense flesh which stands up on its own and in salads. It pairs well with stronger flavors and retains its own juices. Tuscan melons are an old-fashioned heirloom variety with cantaloupe-colored flesh and pronounced ribs on the outside.

• Galia melons are highly aromatic and have pale green flesh that’s packed with juice. Galias are incredibly sweet with a texture similar to a watermelon. They have a telltale dark golden colored ring under the netting when they’re ripe.

Not sure?  When you come into the store, ask one of us to slice a melon open for you, and see for yourself which you like the best.