When you go to the store to pick out a cantaloupe, it is pretty common that you see people using their own unique methods to select their cantaloupes. The question is: how to select a ripe cantaloupe? This is a very important question because cantaloupes do not get sweeter after harvest (and especially, not after taking them home and cutting into them), so you want to pick out a cantaloupe that was harvested ripe. Traditionally, the method was to check the ‘slip’ at the bottom. However, now as innovation progresses, there are more things to pay attention to when selecting a cantaloupe.
I recently went to visit Westside Produce to get a glimpse behind the scenes of cantaloupe harvest and packing, and found myself learning a lot more about the research and innovation that has gone into the cantaloupe breeding process, and all of the market changes that have occurred as a result.
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How to Select a Ripe Cantaloupe?
There is not a simple answer to this because there are currently three types of cantaloupes that are sold at grocery stores and each have their own ripeness indicators: Western Shipper, Long Shelf-Life and Extended Shelf-Life cantaloupes. Therefore, it is important to know the difference between the three to help select a ripe cantaloupe from the grocery store.
Western Shipper Cantaloupes
Traditionally, the mainstay cantaloupe has consisted of Western Shipper cultivars.
- How to Determine Ripeness: When ripe, the vine will easily pop off of the cantaloupe without force. You can observe this at the grocery store by either viewing what they call a ‘full slip’. The lowest ripeness stage workers are supposed to harvest at is ‘3/4 slip’ (imagine ¾ of the stem end being clean). At these stages, there should be very little to no vine left over on the cantaloupe. In addition to checking this when purchasing, the cantaloupe should also be very firm throughout with no soft spots.
- Harvest: The harvest crews go through the same fields approximately 10 times during harvest. The cantaloupes all ripen at different times, so they have to go through the field each time and find the cantaloupes that are ripe and ready for harvest.
- Shelf-life: 10-14 days
- Pros: (1) The ripeness can be easily determined. (2) They have the traditional cantaloupe flavor profile that all of the consumers enjoy and are used to.
- Cons: They can only last for 2 weeks after harvest! This means that by the time it leaves the ranch, goes to the cooler, is transported to the grocery store (or any other vendor), and then to the consumer, there are only a few days left of shelf-life.
Long Shelf-life Cantaloupes
In order to increase the shelf-life of the product, breeders came up with non-slip Long Shelf-life cultivars.
- How to Determine Ripeness: These cantaloupe cultivars are non-slip, so you cannot tell when they are ready to harvest by looking at the slip to see if all of the vine was removed. Instead, for the non-slip cultivars, the harvesters can tell when they are ready to harvest when the exterior netting moves up the vine. In the picture below, you can see where the netting started to creep up to the vine.
- Harvest: The harvest crew only has to go through the field a few times, as all of the cantaloupes have a closer harvest range.
- Shelf-life: 30 days
- Pros: (1) The harvest crew only has to go through each field a few times, which is a huge time and money saver. (2) The long shelf-life is a huge plus for all involved (the grower, shipper, seller, end consumer).
- Cons: (1) They lack aroma. They are sweet when you bite into them, but they do not have the cantaloupe aroma that is part of the flavor profile that we all enjoy. (2) It is not as obvious from a visual perspective to determine when they are ripe.
Extended Shelf-life Cantaloupes
So, as a result of this, breeders came up with Extended Shelf-life cultivars that have a mixture of the beneficial aspects of both the Western Shipper cultivars and the Long Shelf-life cultivars.
- How to Determine Ripeness: Similar to the Grower Shipper cultivars, you can tell the ripeness by looking at the ‘slip’. The obvious difference is that the slip is not as clean with the Extended Shelf-life cultivars.
- Harvest: The harvest crew goes through these fields approximately 5 times to harvest all of the cantaloupes.
- Shelf-life: 14-21 days
- Pros: (1) They have a longer shelf-life than the Western Grower cultivars. (2) They have both the cantaloupe sweetness and aroma.
- Cons: They are not as easy to determine the ripeness stage as the Western Shipper cultivars.
How to Select, Store & Prepare Cantaloupes – Straight from the Grower!
(This is an excerpt from The Produce Nerd’s Grocery Guide, with input provided by Garrett Patricio from Westside Produce. You can learn more about the Grocery Guide, which covers this information for 55 different produce items, with input from 26 crop-specific companies HERE.)
What to look for when picking the best quality cantaloupes?
- For most cantaloupes, look for a clean abscission at the stem or slip end, straw or golden color, raised netting, and a musky aroma. If the cantaloupe appears to be cut from the vine, look for netting climbing up the stem end.
Common issues to avoid when selecting cantaloupes?
- Avoid discoloration, bruising, and fruit that appears too green.
Are there any common issues that are specifically caused by bad grocery store handling?
- Because melons are a bulk commodity, brands can be co-mingled. But, not all brands are alike! Find one you’ve had good experience with and ask your produce department for more.
Are there any new cultivars that are being grown that might have different quality indicators or common issues to look out for?
- In the last 10 years, planted cantaloupe varieties have shifted from high flavor with a short shelf-life, to high brix and a longer shelf-life. But brix doesn’t always translate to flavor and consumers have responded with an appetite for better tasting fruit. Growers and marketers understand this desire and have worked with seed companies to start producing high flavor melons with longer shelf-lives. This seems to be the future.
What is the best way to store cantaloupes at home?
- Melons don’t ripen once they are picked. Instead, they begin to break down and soften. Peak maturity is the day they are picked, so there is no need to wait to eat the fruit.
What is your favorite way to eat and prepare cantaloupe?
I have a few favorites:
- Cut the cantaloupe in half and put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the seed cavity
- Cut cantaloupe, cucumber, and red onion, add some feta cheese or fresh mozzarella and drizzle with balsamic vinegar
- Cut slices of cantaloupe and add prosciutto or carpaccio
- Cut with other fruits and make a great fruit salad!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can you tell if a cantaloupe is ripe?
You first need to determine what type of cantaloupe it is, and then use the guide above to help you select a ripe cantaloupe from the options provided. I recommend taking a screen shot of the diagram above and referencing it while you are shopping.
How long does it take for a cantaloupe to ripen on the counter?
Although cantaloupes do continue ripening after harvest, they do not get sweeter, so do not leave your cantaloupe on the counter for an extended period of time before cutting into it. Instead of resulting in a sweeter cantaloupe, you will result in an older cantaloupe with a shorter shelf-life!
Can you ripen a cantaloupe after it has been cut?
No. After cutting into a cantaloupe, even if it is not as ripe as you desired, you need to put the cut cantaloupe into the refrigerator. A cantaloupe that has been cut into should never be left out on the counter in hopes of further ripening.
Do cantaloupes ripen after harvest?
Technically, yes they are climacteric and do continue ripening after harvest. However, they do not get sweeter after harvest, so it is important that they are harvested when ripe.
Do you need to refrigerate cantaloupe?
After a cantaloupe has been cut, it needs to immediately be placed into the refrigerator in an airtight container. Prior to cutting into a cantaloupe, you can store it on the counter before cutting it.
Now that you know how to select a ripe cantaloupe, learn how to select and store 34 other common produce items by downloading the free table below!
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Thanks Megan,
I planted “NO. 45 CANTALOUPE“ this year and they are growing beautifully; approximately 1-4 every square foot. The instructions for when to pick were pick FULL SLIP. Not until your reading through your page did I have a better understanding of what FULL SLIP meant. Some of these could be ripe in just a couple of days p, as I look forward to eating fruit that wasn’t sprayed with pesticides. If I don’t grow the fruits and vegetables myself I can’t eat them, as I can taste the chemicals on the produce at the grocer. Again thank you for your wise information.
Does ‘ripe’ = ‘sweet’? I haven’t had a sweet cantaloupe in years. How do I find them? Growing my own is not an option.
Thanks!
If you have a Whole Foods near you, you can find wonderfully harvested cantoloupe. Before this year I hadn’t had a good cantoloupe since I was a child from my grandparents’ farm. I was actually blown away by how delicious Whole Foods’ cantoloupe was when I tried it.
Whole Foods disappointed me yesterday when I bought both cantaloupe and blackberries – both disappointed me. No flavor or sweetness. I guess all Whole Foods are different.
I cut up a nice cantaloupe today and it had great flavour, but it’s rather hard, like a watermelon rind. I wish I had left it to soften a few days.