A happy belated 4th of July to our farm community! We hope everyone rang in America’s day of birth with all the delectable grilled fares, all the wonderful family and friends, and all the ice cold beverages. You might have noticed from the scorching hot and unrelenting heat that summertime has arrived in her bright and sunshiney dress. This mean oodles of sweat, all the Topo Chico you can possibly imbibe, immersing yourself in local watering holes as much as possible, but also and more importantly, MELONS! The darlings of our summertime crops have arrived, and they will be here to stay for quite a while as we have five successions of all our varied melon varieties. The southern United States is “melon country,” as our head farmer would say, because we have these blistering summers that this crop prefers. If ever you find yourself driving in rural Alabama, you can even spot wild melons growing on the side of the road… that’s how much this crop loves the heat! We have a huge assortment of melons this year from all over the world. Check out our guide below!

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

French Charentais Melon - Originating in west-central France, this variety is one of the smaller French varieties. Proclaimed to have a better more succulent taste than that of the North American Cantaloupe, this variety is the sweetest of all the French melons, too.

French Charentais. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Korean Melon - We have been growing these incredibly sweet melons for about three or four years now. This year, we have tried out a new variety that looks like a cucumber with yellow skin and white flesh on the inside. Also called chamoe, this sweet and crispy taste is a cross between a honeydew and a cucumber. You can eat it whole, even the skin. Grown primarily in Korea now, they originated in East India, and are thought to have been introduced to China via the Silk Road.

Korean Melon. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Galia Melon - Hailing from Israel, the word “galia” means “born in waves” in Hebrew. This is one of the first melons that we harvest from the fields during the summer season! When you bite into this beauty, you experience quite a tropical taste.

Galia. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Canary Melon - Aptly named as its bright rind mirrors the color of a canary bird. This melon is elongated with white flesh. It has a taste similar to that of a honeydew - a touch tangier, but still very sweet.

Canary. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Cantaloupe (Regular and Mini) - One of our sweet and juicy all time favorites, this orange-fleshed melon is perfect sliced up for breakfast, wrapped up with prosciutto as a snack, or served with ice cream as a dessert.

Cantaloupe. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Crenshaw Melon - Pink-fleshed with a taste and texture that is unbelievable... one of our farmers’ favorites. A hybrid melon that boasts a sweet but slightly spicy taste. (This crop is still growing, not ready for markets yet!)

Honeydew Melon - This melon has a very sweet taste with greenish flesh. The perfect treat to cool down on a summer scorcher, plus it lends itself very well as a dessert.

Honeydew. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Icebox Watermelon (Yellow Watermelon, Black Rind Watermelon, Green-Striped Watermelon) - The most popular of all the melons, our icebox watermelons are the belles of the market. Since we don’t grow the traditional larger watermelons (they are too big and heavy to haul around, plus, they don’t fit in the CSA box!), we have quite the array of smaller personal sized watermelons. The yellow-fleshed watermelon is unusually sweet, and quite a sight when you cut into it. Our Black Rind Watermelon has a very crisp and sweet flesh when you bite into it, and lastly, our famous and probably most recognizable green-striped watermelon has the familiar green stripes with the pinkish-red insides. It’s dense and sweet, and tastes just like summertime.

Watermelons! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Grab these summertime treats at the markets! CSA members - tell us what you like the best! We love feedback!