Melons: How to Choose, Store and Prepare

Melon is summer. Its intense aroma, which you can already smell at the market or supermarket, and then accompany you in your shopping bag to then spring up on the table, is summer.

When the heat comes knocking at your door one of the things we all do in the kitchen is to replace dinner with a nice plate of prosciutto e melone, a classic Italian appetizer. Isn't it?

Now that we all agree, here there are a couple of useful tips and 9 fresh recipes in the Photo Gallery!

How to choose a melon

Melon is an annual herbaceous plant, the varieties are divided into summer and winter, so the first thing to do is to choose a seasonal one. From the muskmelon, round with a fine network of lines drawn across the skin and a sweet orange flesh center, and the cantaloupe which is very sweet, fragrant, with firm flesh center, to the Galia melon (or honeydew melon), with its very aromatic white flesh. To choose a good melon always remember to smell it: a perfumed melon has reached a good point of ripeness, if it isn’t fragrant and is green, then it isn’t ripe.

How to store melon

The melon can be stored outside the refrigerator but in a cool place, away from heat sources or direct sunlight that speeds up the ripening process (so it should not be left on the balcony, for example). If you need to eat it immediately it’s best to put it in the fridge just a few hours before consumption. Be careful if you decide not to consume it immediately though, especially the muskmelon, as it ripens and rots quickly, so it’s better to keep it in the fridge but away from the fridge walls to avoid it freezing.

And now, let's enjoy its flavor in these wonderful dishes!