Farm-grown melon tasting 2010

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Melons!  I've been harvesting them for a few weeks now.  I grew 5-6 varieties of muskmelon (canteloupe) and 3-4 different varieties of watermelon.  All of the muskmelon varieties grew & survived to harvest, but only 2 varieties of watermelon made it to harvest.

I had a melon tasting to compare, and figure out which varieties were best to continue for next year. 

All the muskmelons looked so different!  I had planted varieties from America, France, and even Russia.  Some had the typical netted skin of a muskmelon, but others were dark green & smooth, one was yellow & smooth, yet another was light blue with stripes - all were interesting.

They all tasted different as well - a couple had the typical orange flesh, but one was white, and the winner.... well, the winner was green-fleshed, like a honeydew, but it was a muskmelon.  The winner's name?  Jenny Lind, an American heirloom named after a famous singer in the early 1800s.  Sweet, juicy, delicious.  She'll definitely be on my seed list again next year.... oh, yes, that's right - I saved the seeds from a few melon so I won't even have to buy the seeds next year, I'll just use my own stash.  There she is - the green melon below.  Yum...

This year marks the first year I've brought watermelon to harvest.  Our short growing season here makes it somewhat difficult.  I may have had better luck with other varieties if I'd started them earlier, inside, under lights.  But I put the seeds right in the ground.  An early heirloom variety, Cream of Saskatchewan, gave us several cute, small melons with interesting white flesh.  What's that????  A watermelon with SEEDS?  We certainly don't see those in the grocery store anymore.  Heirloom seeds, nonetheless, that can be saved for next year's planting. 

Hope you've enjoyed your own melon harvest, or those you've purchased from your own local farmer's market!

Thanks for visiting Wishful Acres Organic Farm!