Choose your cantaloupe by its beautiful melon fragrance, well-rounded shape and heavy weight for its size. Check for good webbing over the creamy-colored rind and pronounced cavity where the melon was pulled from the vine. Avoid cantaloupes that are bruised, have cracked rinds or smell too strongly (a sure sign of over-ripeness). DOLE Cantaloupes are harvested almost ripe and shipped to you in temperature-controlled containers to avoid over-ripening.
Cantaloupes should be eaten soon after purchase. If you refrigerate them, store in an airtight container because they absorb other food odors easily.
Wash the rind before cutting in half and removing the seeds. Delicious as a starter, with or without Parma-type ham, and cut up in a salad.
France, South America