Melons Delivery or Pickup

Melons are closely related to gourds like squash and cucumbers, and they're a type of berry called a pepo with fleshy fruit. They originally came from Africa and Southwest Asia, and the ancient Egyptians grew them. People brought them to Europe during the Bronze Age, and settlers brought them to North America in the 1600s. According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, the average person in the United States eats 27 pounds of melons per year.

Look for symmetrical, plump melons that feel heavy. Many types of melons have a flat, darker or lighter area where the fruit rested on the ground, and it may feel slightly softer than the rest of the melon. There should be a smooth scar where the stem was. If part of the stem is still there, the melon may have been harvested too early. 

Melons stop becoming sweeter after they're picked, so the best melons stay on the vine as long as possible. Some melons will detach from the vine by themselves when they're ripe, and they may have a hollow sound when you tap them.

Melons are popular around the world, and many different varieties are available. Watermelons are large, and they have green stripes and red flesh. Their high water content makes them a popular treat in summer, and seedless watermelons are available. American cantaloupes, also called muskmelons, have orange-pink flesh and a light brown rind with a netted pattern. European cantaloupes have greenish skins and bright green flesh, and they're not as sweet as American cantaloupes. Honeydew melons have smooth, light green skin and green flesh, and they taste a lot like cantaloupe.

Canary melons, also called winter melons, are bright yellow with pale green or white flesh. They're tangier than honeydews or cantaloupes, and the rind feels waxy when it's ripe. Bitter melons look like bumpy cucumbers with pointed ends, and they have a bitter flavor. Horned melon or kiwano is bright orange and covered in bumps or horns. People call it jelly melon because the green flesh has a gelatinous texture, and it's full of edible seeds.  Casaba melons grow in winter, and they look a lot like canary melons, but they have a more spherical shape. Persian melons are oblong, and they have yellow skin with green spots and yellow flesh. Crenshaw melons are hybrids of Casaba and Persian melons with very sweet flavors. You can also try a cucamelon. It looks like a tiny watermelon, but it tastes like a cucumber or a pickle.