Casaba Melon

Have you ever heard of a casaba melon? Me neither. One thing I have enjoyed doing for a long time is picking up a piece of produce that I've never heard of and seeing what it is like. Today, the opportunity struck on our trip to Kroger in Bellevue. The sticker said "Variety Melons". What I saw were a bunch of these things.

The sticker said it was a casaba. I am adventurous, but I still had to look the thing up on my phone to make sure it would actually be food. The main thing I wanted to know is how to tell if one is ripe. The good people at www.produceoasis.com informed me that a casaba melon should be large and firm with a good amount of softness at the stem end. It also becomes ridged when ripe. A YouTube video suggested that the melon is similar to honeydew.

So I got the thing home and cut it open! Here's what I found inside.

After removing the seeds

This is just one half of it!

I haven't eaten much of it yet, but it has a nice honeydew-like aroma to it. This thing is juicy like a watermelon! I found the flavor to also be similar to honeydew but with the texture of an overly ripe cantaloupe. The flavor is slightly less pronounced than a honeydew, and it feels like it needs a little something extra. I'm going to put it in with some apples and grapes later for a little fruit salad. I was also curious to see how it would go with some middle eastern flavors. I mixed up a bowl of the fruit with some cinnamon, all spice, and honey. It was really good! It may be even better with a little greek yogurt or creme fraiche.