When is casaba ripe

Casaba melons are believed to have originated in Turkey. On the outside, casaba melons are a buttery yellow color with a thick, textured rind. Inside, the flesh is similar to a cross between a honeydew melon and an asian pear, with a similar color. The watery flesh is pearly white, and at the center, elongated teardrop shaped seeds are small and offwhite. Finally, tap firmly on the fruit with one of your fingers. There should be a hollow sound.

Casabas are one heck of a culinary canvas! Enjoy raw casaba melon in salads, smoothies, shakes and sorbets. Turn up the heat to bring out their natural sugars! Toss slices on the grill to caramelize them, cook casaba down into candies and syrups, or bake the delicate fruit into pastries.

Experiment with this versatile fruit and share your experiences with us on Instagram Fruitstandcom. Casaba melon is known to be a good source of folate, along with vitamins C and B6, along with other nutrients that can have great health benefits.

Keep reading to learn the nutrition of casaba melon. Read more about the nutrition of casaba melon by the USDA here.

The casaba melon season in the United States lasts from around August through December, peaking in the fall. Fresh casaba melon has a refreshing, mildly sweet flavor of Asian pear with a barely-there hint of peppery warmth. As soft as honeydew when ripe, casaba melon also tastes like a slightly sweet cucumber with the faintest hint of musk that these types of melons are known for.

These big botanical berries add mild, musky sweetness to tons of recipes. There are countless ways to add crisp, mild casaba melon sweetness to drink recipes. Casaba is delicious in juices, enhanced waters, cocktails, batch drinks, smoothies and liqueurs.

To make delicious alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, use your melons to make a basic syrup or toss frozen chunks into your blender to sip on something a little more slushy. Fresh casaba melons can be stored on the countertop until they fully ripen. Their thick, waxy rind allows casaba melons to keep fresher for longer than other varieties, lasting as long as two weeks depending on your climate.

Sliced or whole ripe casaba melons should be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. To freeze casaba melons, wait until they are fully ripened. Then, slice the casaba to remove the inedible seeds and rind. Freeze sliced melon on a cookie sheet with space between each piece. Once frozen, store the fruit in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.

Casaba melon is safe for dogs to eat. To choose the best casaba melon , look for one that gives slightly when lightly pressed at the blossom part of the fruit.

Avoid melons that are too soft, have soft spots, or that have mold or dark blemishes. Varying from other types of cantaloupe , the casaba melon sports numerous shallow, uneven furrows that run from one end to the other on its skin.

The wrinkled skin lacks netting, and its color ranges from green to yellow. The winter pineapple variety of casaba melon has a light green skin even when it is completely mature. The Crenshaw type acquires a light yellow-tan when it matures, while the golden beauty turns a bright lovely yellow.

While it resembles a round pumpkin shape, it tapers off to a slight point at the stem end. Casaba melons grow on a vine like other melons, but they do not slip from the vine when they mature. Harvesting them involves cutting the stems when they're ripe and holding them in storage.

The skin of a casaba is smooth rather than netted like a cantaloupe , but wrinkled, with longitudinal furrows. Casaba melons range in size from three to five pounds one to two kilograms. A ripe casaba melon should be bright yellow, and the blossom end should yield slightly to pressure. If not vine-ripened, a casaba melon can be ripened on the counter for two to four days, after which it can be refrigerated for about five days, or three days if sliced.

In addition to her role as a DelightedCooking editor, Niki enjoys educating herself about interesting and unusual topics in order to get ideas for her own articles. Niki Foster. Please enter the following code:.