By William Terry Kelley
University of
Georgia
Georgia is known for its watermelons. But other types of melons
can grow here, too, to provide a different flavor for your taste
buds.
Of course, cantaloupes are common and widely grown here. But
there are many melons related to these that you may not have
heard much about.
The melons in the Cucumis melo L. (Reticulatus group) include our
common cantaloupes and charentais and galia melons. All of the
melons that belong to the melo species are called muskmelons. But
not all muskmelons are cantaloupes. The Inodorus group includes
honeydew, Christmas, casaba, Crenshaw and canary melons.
Casaba fruits aren’t netted like
cantaloupes, but have deep wrinkles. The skin color may vary by
variety, which include “Golden Beauty,” “MaryGold,” “Winter
Pineapple” and “Santa Claus.”
These melons have various shapes and sizes. The flesh is thick
and either white, yellow or orange. Casabas don’t have the musky
odor of a cantaloupe or the sweetness of a honeydew.
Crenshaw melons are casaba
crosses, so they’re close relatives of this type.
Charentais melons have been called
the finest melon in taste, texture and fragrance. They’re
globe-shaped and have either a slightly netted or gray-green,
waxy rind with dark green sutures.
These melons have a deep orange flesh with a spicy aroma. They’re
usually sweeter than cantaloupes but have a soft flesh that
shortens the shelf life.
Among the varieties, “Robinson” has a good flavor and pale orange
flesh. “Fidji” has a pale orange flesh that’s also very sweet.
“Figaro” is said to have a hint of caramel with a full, musky
flavor. “Romulus” and “Escrito” are also available.
Oriental, crisp-flesh melons have
captured the interest of many in the South in recent years. The
sweet type of these are oblong to round with rinds from yellow to
green or white.
The fruits are small, and most have a white, crisp flesh.
Varieties include “Sprite,” “Gold Star,” “Yellow Queen,” “New
Century” and “Jade Flower.”
Galia melons are basically
green-fleshed cantaloupes. The rind will turn dark green to
golden yellow at peak harvest time. The green flesh is much
softer than that of a honeydew, but it’s firmer than the orange
flesh of the cantaloupe.
They’re typically very fragrant, but they have a short shelf
life. “Gallicum” is probably the most popular of these varieties.
But “Golan 329” and “Sunny Gal” have shown promise.
Juan Canary melons are grown in
hot, dry climates. They have attractive fruit with a smooth rind
that turns golden yellow as the fruits ripen. The flesh is firm
and light green to white. Sometimes there’s a tinge of orange
near the fruit cavity.
Japanese melons are usually grown
in greenhouses in Japan and command a high price there. These
melons are slightly oval and very sweet. They have an extremely
well netted, green rind. The flesh is usually green, very sweet
and firm. “Emerald Jewel” and “Emerald Sweet” are popular
varieties.
Piel de Sapo, or Christmas melons,
are football-shaped. They have yellow to green, mottled rinds and
a very pale orange or light green flesh. They don’t have sutures.
These melons take longer to mature than any of the others and are
traditionally grown in hot, dry climates. “Sancho” is one variety.
Ananas is an oval-to-long, netted,
nonsutured, yellow melon with white flesh. Green when immature,
it turns yellow to burnt orange at maturity. The flesh is
fragrant, sweet and juicy.
The prospect of growing these melons for shipping in Georgia
isn’t great. Many don’t resist diseases well or tolerate our hot,
humid conditions, and many have a relatively short shelf-life.
However, you can try them in the garden, especially in the middle
to northern parts of the state. You might try them at the dinner
table, too, if you see them at the market.
(Terry Kelley is an Extension Service horticulturist with the
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences.)
