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Ramps
The wild ramp, AKA wild leek, botanical name Allium tricoccum, is a flowering perennial plant that grows in clusters. It is a member of the Allium family along with onions and leeks
Calamondin Limes
The Calamondin lime is a cross between a sour, loose skinned mandarin and a kumquat, therefore technically making it an orangequat.
Salanova® Lettuces
Salanova® lettuce is a full-sized variety developed for the baby lettuce market. Botanically these varieties are scientifically known as Lactuca sativa.
Description/Taste
Lemon Drop melons are small to medium-sized fruits with a round to slightly oblong shape. The melons should feel heavy for their size, averaging three pounds in weight, and bear golden-beige, thin skin covered in a rough netted texture. The melon’s surface also features pale green longitudinal grooves that transition into a brown hue when very ripe. Underneath the rind, the green to white flesh is dense, soft, and aqueous with a tender, succulent consistency. In the center of the flesh, there is a cavity filled with slippery, tan seeds encased in a mixture of stringy fibers and a gelatinous coating. These seeds are typically removed before consumption. Unlike many other netted melons, Lemon Drop melons have no floral aromatics and are known for containing a high citric acid content. The natural acidity creates a subtly sweet, tart flavor that is initially sweet like honeydew and watermelon, followed by a sharp tang reminiscent of lemons.
Seasons/Availability
Lemon Drop melons are available in the summer.
Current Facts
Lemon Drop melons, botanically classified as Cucumis melo, are a hybrid variety belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. The netted melons were developed in the early 21st century through natural, selective crossbreeding and were created as a specialty melon with a memorable, sweet, and tangy flavor. Lemon Drop melons earned their name for their melon-forward taste followed by a lemon-like zing, reminiscent of a lemon drop candy. The melons are also sometimes known as Lemondrop or Kandy Lemondrop melons and are favored by melon enthusiasts for their higher acid content, which is what creates the pleasantly sour taste. Lemon Drop melons are picked ripe and are marketed as a unique melon variety best suited for fresh eating.
Nutritional Value
Lemon Drop melons are a good source of vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, reduce inflammation, and boost collagen production within the skin. The melons also contain vitamin B6 to help transform ingested food into energy, potassium to balance fluid levels, and fiber to regulate the digestive tract.
Applications
Lemon Drop melons have an unusual, sweet-tart flavor well suited for fresh preparations. The melons are best served at room temperature to develop the softest flesh with the most pronounced flavor. The rind should be washed prior to cutting, and once cleaned, the rind can be removed, and the flesh sliced or cubed to be consumed straight, out of hand. The melons offer a bright, refreshing, and tangy flavor that is often enjoyed in fruit bowls, green salads, and yogurt, or the flesh can be balled and added as a fresh topping over ice cream or wrapped in rice as a modern omusubi. Lemon Drop melons can also be pureed into a chilled summer soup, frozen into sorbet, sliced and infused into water, or blended into smoothies, fruit punches, and cocktails. In addition to the flesh, the melon can be halved, hollowed, and the rind used as a natural serving bowl. Lemon Drop melons pair well with fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, and bananas, nuts including pepitas, hazelnuts, and pistachios, prosciutto, and herbs such as cilantro, basil, and mint. Whole, unwashed Lemon Drop melons can be left at room temperature for 1 to 2 days or stored up to five days in the refrigerator. Once opened, the melon slices can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for 1 to 3 days.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Martori Farms is a family-owned fruit and vegetable grower based in Arizona that specializes in producing melons. The farm has multiple field locations throughout Arizona and California that provide hot and sunny daytime temperatures mixed with cool, dry nights, an environment ideal for melon production. Martori Farms dedicates over 9,000 acres for melon cultivation, and Lemon Drop melons are exclusively grown in Arizona’s desert climate to develop an optimum balance of sugars and citric acid. Martori Farms also cultivates many types of cantaloupes that are transported to a hot water facility in Aguila, Arizona, before being shipped to retail locations. At this packinghouse, the melons are immersed in an innovative hot water produce shower that sprays the melon for 20 seconds with water reaching 162 degrees Fahrenheit. This treatment was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, in partnership with the University of California at Davis and is a new technology that Martori Farms quickly adopted to maintain safety standards. The hot water produce shower helps to pasteurize the skin and remove environmental bacteria from the melon’s surface without compromising the fruit’s flavor or texture.
Geography/History
Lemon Drop melons are a hybrid variety developed through traditional breeding techniques in the early 21st century. The sweet-tart fruits are a cross between a wild melon variety that contains a high citric acid content and a sweet galia melon. Lemon Drop melons were first released in the United States in 2013 through Martori Farms, a family-owned business based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Martori exclusively grows and distributes the Lemon Drop melon under the brand "Kandy." Today Lemon Drop melons are seasonally available through specialty distributors and grocers in partnership with Martori Farms throughout the United States.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Lemon Drop Melon. One
is
easiest, three is harder.
