Our Passion For Fruit - Melons

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Melons

There are lots of different types of melon available, in a rainbow of bright colors and fabulous flavors. That delicious, juicy flesh is just sooooo refreshing!

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Did you know

Melons grow on climbing plants and belong to the pumpkin family.

Discover

Did you know

Primitive varieties of melons were almost inedible - they were so bitter!

Have you tried a Fyffes melon? It’s hard to beat the deliciously refreshing natural taste of a ripe melon and with a host of different varieties available there’s sure to be a melon to delight everyone!

It is thought that melons originated in Africa and Asia, but they have been known in China for over 3000 years. Primitive varieties tasted bitter and weren’t eaten raw, but much later sweeter varieties were developed (possibly in Spain) by crossing the bitter varieties with others brought from Persia by Arab traders. It was actually the Europeans who took the sweet melons to America.

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Let’s explore how Fyffes melons are grown.

The Melon Journey

How are melons grown?

It’s all about the soil. Melons need a rich, fertile, moisture retentive, deep and well-drained soil. To thrive they also need plenty of sun and high humidity. That’s why our melons are grown from seeds, in Honduras and Guatemala.

How are our melons harvested?

When the time’s just right to pick our melons… we don’t. In fact, we cut them from the plants instead to ensure there’s no rips or lacerations that could later lead to bacteria and disease. Plus, this special ‘clean-cut’ method, ensures each and every melon reaches you in the finest and most delicious condition possible.

Storage is an art in itself. Every batch is unique and the fruits are stored in cartons at a temperature of 37.4-44.6 °F. The correct temperature and humidity is crucial to maintain the farm-fresh goodness of the fruit and it takes experts – like ours – to know how to produce the best fruit.

How do melons get to North America?

It’s not quite a cruise liner, but our precious melons need looking after on their 2 day ocean crossing. They are snuggly packed together for protection and kept under temperature controlled conditions to ensure that when they reach you they look great and taste divine!

Our Varieties

All melons are definitely not the same. They can immediately be divided into two groups - sugar melons (Cucumis melo) and water-melons (Citrullus lanatus). In fact they do not even belong to the same family - the watermelon is more closely related to the cucumber than other melons. But they all have one thing in common – their delicious, juicy, mouthwateringly sweet flesh! Some facts:

Honey

The Honey melon (Honeydew or Spanish melon) has white to pale green flesh and, as the name suggests, tastes as sweet as honey!

Sugar Melons

Galia

The Galia melon is a variant of the net melon with flesh similar to the honeydew melon - sweet and aromatic, a little like a nectarine.

Cantaloupe & Charentais

The Cantaloupe melon originated in Cantalupo in Ascona, Italy. It is round and relatively small. Some people find it a bit sweeter with a distinctive flavor. The Charentais melon is also part of the cantaloupes group. The very dark apricot-colored flesh has hints of papaya and pineapple.

Watermelons

There are many varieties of watermelons, different in shape and size. The largest weigh up to 33 lb and the flesh contains no seeds. With a water content of 95%, the juicy red flesh is a refreshing thirst quencher with a natural sweetness!

Did you know?

• Melons were grown in ancient Egypt.
• Melons grow on climbing plants and belong to the pumpkin family.
• The fruit only contains half as much sugar as a pear or an apple.
• Melons consist of at least 90% water and have a lot of phosphorus, calcium, provitamin A and vitamin C.
• Because of its red flesh color, the watermelon was once a symbol of martyrdom.
• Every year on August 10th the people of Italy celebrate the patron saint of cooks by eating lots of watermelon.