News and Notes from The Johnson Center
Family and Food: Melons
Kelly Barnhill | Mon, September 24, 2012 | [Family and Food]We continue to harvest my summer garden’s bumper crop of melons here in central Texas. We planted these in three waves this year – our first seeds went in the ground in March with the help of our young friend, Sophie, and we planted again in May and early July. This was the first year we planted seven different varieties – and I held my breath and was eager to see the results. Having purchased grocery store and local melons of different types for years, I was truly unaware of the depth and breadth of flavor to be found in this fruit.
Melons are members of the same family as other gourds—some scientists refer to these as berries, and some refer to them as vegetables. Even more confusing, they are similar to both winter squashes and cucumbers in texture and flavor. Melon species are generally thought to have originated in sub-Saharan and Western Africa. However, most culinary anthropologists believe that melons are poorly preserved and thus their culinary history is poorly understood. We do know that melons have played a role in meals in Africa, southwestern Asia, and Australia for centuries – and they have been cultivated in China for over 5000 years.
Most varieties of melon are great sources of vitamin A in the form of betacarotene. Many also provide healthy doses of vitamin K, B vitamins, and magnesium.
For our summer 2012 crop, we chose these heritage varieties from Baker Creek Heritage Seeds: banana, casaba, and tigger melons, as well as muskmelon, Charantais, and honeydew varieties. You can learn more about each type of melon here:
http://www.rareseeds.com
In addition to enjoying fresh melon, we have enjoyed the following melon recipes this summer:
Cantaloupe Strawberry Smoothie:
– 1/2 medium/large cantaloupe, rind removed
– 1 cup organic strawberries
– 2 cups fresh organic baby spinach (or other leafy green)
– 1/4 cup filtered water if needed
Calories: 198 | Fat: 1g (grams) | Protein: 6g | Carbs: 46g | Calcium: 12% | Vitamin A: 832% | Vitamin C: 335%
Printable recipe
http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/recipes/cantaloupe-melon-smoothie-recipes-and-nutrition/
Melon and Prosciutto:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/melon-wrapped-in-prosciutto-recipe/index.html
And, finally, melon vanilla jam inspired by The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Chair-Jam-Cookbook/dp/0740791435
http://www.cambridge.org/us/books/kiple/cucumbers.htm
http://www.foodreference.com/html/artmelon.html
