What’s the well being good thing about melon? Questioning find out how to use melon within the kitchen? In search of fabulous melon recipes? I’ve bought you lined with this 101 melon information answering your high questions on melon well being advantages and past. Get this melon record too.
A candy juicy melon on a scorching summer season day is one among summer season’s greatest rewards, isn’t it? After I was a child, I visited my aunt and uncle’s watermelon farm in Idaho through the summers. We might every pick our favourite watermelon within the area, choose it up, throw it all the way down to crack it open, and eat out the guts with our grubby little paws. On these scorching, dusty days, nothing tasted higher! I can odor the candy watermelon nectar simply desirous about it. Ever since then, I’ve been completely in love with summer season’s bounty of melons: watermelons, crenshaws, cantaloupes, honeydews—and plenty of extra uncommon varieties past these. Melons are so candy and yummy; they usually’re actually at their greatest, served merely and unadorned. However they’re additionally fabulous in so many recipes. I’ve melons rising in my backyard every summer season, and I’m enamored with their cheery flowers and curling vines because the fruits start to emerge. However do you know that melons supply extra than simply good style? They’re full of well being advantages, and are extra versatile within the kitchen than you may think.
What Are Melons?
Melons are candy edible fleshy fruits within the Cucurbitaceae household. Botanically talking, melons are literally a sort of berry. First originating in Africa and Southwest Asia, melons made their strategy to Europe through the Roman Empire—in truth, they had been cultivated in historical Egypt. These candy juicy fruits had been among the many first to be domesticated within the Previous World, in addition to the New World. There are various forms of melons obtainable (over a thousand varieties!), every with completely different sizes, shapes, peels, colours, and flavors. When you’ll discover the fundamental varieties in supermarkets, take a look at a farmers market to identify a wider vary of bizarre varieties. And check out rising them in your personal backyard. Melons peak within the heat summer season months.
Melon Listing
Attempt a few of these extra generally obtainable melons.
- Ambrosia
- Canary
- Cantaloupe
- Charentais
- Crenshaw
- Galia
- Hami
- Harper
- Honeydew
- Piel de Sapo
- Sharlyn
- Snow Leopard
- Watermelon
Melon Well being Advantages
These fruits aren’t solely scrumptious, however they’re full of hydrating fluid, fiber, vitamin C, and phytochemicals linked with their colour—all for a thin little calorie load. For instance, do you know that watermelon comprises lycopene—the compound linked with prostate most cancers safety? Every melon has completely different plant compounds linked with its colour, providing antioxidant and anti inflammatory motion.
Find out how to Use Melons within the Kitchen
In fact, one of the best ways to get pleasure from melon is contemporary and easy. Simply slice into wedges and chunk in! Nonetheless, you should utilize melons in fascinating methods past contemporary slices. Melons can be utilized in breakfast bowls, salads, chilly soups, smoothies, sorbets, popsicles, and even grilled for a caramelized deal with. Discover extra methods to make use of melons beneath. Find out how to choose a melon? Search for melons that really feel heavy for its dimension, with a barely candy odor (for some forms of melons) that’s not overpowering (which might point out over ripe fruit). For watermelons, you could need to give the floor a lightweight knock—if it sounds hole, it must be ripe and able to get pleasure from. For cantaloupes, search for outer surfaces that aren’t inexperienced, which signifies it’s not ripe.
Prime 5 Methods to Use Melons
Benefit from melons when they’re in season! Attempt these fascinating methods to place melons in your menu.
1. Au Naturel
One of many absolute best methods to get pleasure from melons is of their pure type. Only a wedge with breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert is the way in which to go! It doesn’t matter what the kind of melon, begin by washing the skin floor of the melon. For honeydew/cantaloupe varieties, slice in half, scoop out the seeds (it can save you them to replant in your backyard), and slice it into wedges. For watermelons, slice in half, then quarters, and slice into wedges. You’ll be able to select to take away the rind or peel (attempt pickling watermelon rind!), or folks can chunk across the rinds. You too can chop the melon flesh into straightforward chunks to get pleasure from out of hand, on fruit platters, or in fruit skewers served with my strawberry tofu dip in my e book The Plant-Powered Food regimen.
2. Savory Pairings
Do you know that candy, fragrant melons pair very well with savory dishes? That’s proper! You’ll be able to grill wedges or chunks of melon on veggie kebabs with tofu or tempeh (attempt melons in my Hawaiian Tempeh Skewers), and even mix contemporary melon in an natural cool soup, akin to my Cucumber Avocado Soup. Attempt cantaloupe on this straightforward pizza recipe, Cantaloupe Basil Flatbread Pizza.
3. Bowled Over with Melons
So many bowls are divine with the addition of juicy, candy melons. Slice chunks of honeydew over your subsequent Inexperienced Goddess Grain Bowl, puree watermelons right into a smoothie bowl, and use watermelon in a Vegan Poke Bowl. You too can attempt a easy melon parfait bowl, which is without doubt one of the greatest no-fuss, no-cook, hands-down scrumptious and wholesome breakfasts, lunches or snacks within the summertime. Simply layer cubed melon with plant-based yogurt, granola, dried fruit, and nuts or seeds.
4. Toss up a Fairly Salad
Melons simply shine in salads—providing simply the correct amount of crunchy, juicy sweetness. Whether or not it’s a inexperienced salad, grain salad, or pasta salad, toss in some chunks of melons for taste and texture. Attempt my watermelon salad in my e book The Plant-Powered Food regimen, or this yummy cantaloupe salad featured above.
5. Drinks Galore
Hydrating melons are completely suited to quite a lot of drinks, from smoothies to slushies to cocktails! Drop a couple of cubes of melon in a blender with a little bit of lemon juice and you’ll whip up a scrumptious fruity drink very quickly. Or just add cubed melon to your favourite smoothie recipe, with a little bit of plant-based milk, seeds, nuts, and greens. Take a look at this Watermelon Basil Slushie for begins and luxuriate in this Cantaloupe Margarita (featured above) for celebrations.
Prime 7 Melon Recipes
Take a look at these favourite plant-based wholesome melon recipes:
- Vegan Poke Bowl with Tofu, Watermelon, and Quinoa
- Watermelon Chia Ginger Smoothie Bowl
- Watermelon Basil Slushie
- Rose Sangria Sparkler
- Radish Salad with Cantaloupe and Pumpkin Seeds
- Vegan Cantaloupe Basil Flatbread Pizza
- Mild & Beautiful Cantaloupe Margarita
Additionally, attempt these 40 Vegan Summer season Fruit Recipes with Melon!
For extra Plant 101 Guides, take a look at the next:
- Zucchini 101: Zucchini Well being Advantages + Zucchini Recipes and Cooking Ideas
- Find out how to Prepare dinner Millet
- Prime 5 Methods to Prepare dinner Celery Root
- Prime 5 Methods to Prepare dinner Tempeh + Tempeh Recipes
- Prime 5 Methods to Use Rapini + Rapini Recipe Information
- Prime 5 Methods to Use Turmeric + Turmeric Recipes
- Prime 5 Methods to Use Chickpeas
- Find out how to Use Blackberries
- Find out how to Use Candy Potatoes
- Find out how to Use Carrots
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