John Myers
They are sweet, mostly heavy and always full of vitamins: melons are as much a part of a refreshing diet as bookmarks are to exciting books. Do you know how many different types of melons there are? And why, despite their name, cantaloupes are diet-friendly? In our overview, we explain the most popular types of melon!
Melons make you feel good
The melons have a strengthening effect on the immune system, contribute to maintaining a healthy heart rhythm and help to detoxify your body thanks to their diuretic effect. Lots of reasons to enjoy the delicious fruit more often – but melons are not fruit! They belong to the pumpkin family and therefore have no right to the fruit designation. But because they are sweet and have comparatively high sugar content, you can consider their fruit in the context of the food pyramid.
750 types of melon
That’s a lot. Most of these only thrive in subtropical climates, but you can grow some in your own garden. The two main groups are watermelons and cantaloupes. As you can imagine, some have a higher proportion of sugar, while others have higher water content. You can also distinguish between net and smooth melons, but this only refers to the outer appearance of the melons. In the following list you will find the tastiest varieties:
Watermelons
Their botanical name is Citrullus lanatus, and these are their best-known representatives:
Classic watermelon
We all know it, the classic watermelon. The green skin and the red flesh are typical. The good piece can weigh between 2 and, believe it or not, 100 kg. They taste a bit watery and less sweet. It cuts a great figure, especially in salads. It is best to store them in a cool and dry place. For example in the cellar or in the fridge.
Tip: Grilled watermelon tastes particularly delicious.
Petit Yellow
It is more melon than melon and is one of the melon varieties that can be harvested several times a year. It is small, spherical, and has a green and dark green striped shell. Its light yellow flesh is sweet and aromatic and has a slightly mealy taste. It matures within a few days. The more sun it gets, the sweeter and firmer it becomes.
Carosello
The Carosello is a very undemanding variety that is named after the place where it was first bred. It can fertilize itself and is therefore not dependent on insects or other helpers. It is elongated-oval and has green skin with evenly dark stripes. The flesh with large, light-colored seeds is yellow-green in color. The melon is very sweet and sticky. It is therefore particularly suitable for delicious dessert variations. But beware: it loses some of its sweetness in the fridge. Once cut, they spoil after 1-2 days.
Moon And Stars
The description of their bowl is hidden behind the sonorous name. This is dark green and stained with yellow dots. The melon reaches a diameter of 20 cm. The pink flesh is super refreshing and tastes intensely like a melon. The only downside: it cannot be stored for a long time. Once cut, it spoils in about 24 hours.
Sugar baby
Yes, she is cute! Sometimes she is also called Maribo, but Sugar Baby sounds much better! It is small, spherical, and has a dark green shell. The red flesh is super sweet and juicy. It tastes intensely of melon and has a high water content – perfect for cocktails! The Sugar Baby weighs a maximum of 3 kg and likes it cool. It can also be grown well in the home garden and can be kept in the fridge for a few days.
Blacktail Mountain
It is rather the vampire among the melon varieties. No wonder, as she doesn’t like a lot of suns and grows well in colder weather. It catches the eye with its very dark green-black skin and deep red flesh and can weigh up to 5 kg. Blacktail Mountain Melon is great for salads because it’s less sweet and slightly watery. It feels best when stored cool and dry, for example in the cellar or refrigerator.
Golden Midget
The sweet melon with pink flesh originally comes from America and weighs around 1.5 kg. When ripe, its skin turns from green to golden yellow. Thanks to its short growing season, it is well suited to our climate. She is excellent to grow in a greenhouse from March to mid-May and harvest from July to October.
Piel de Sapo
In German: toad skin. This type of watermelon is also known as the Futuro melon; it owes its Spanish name Piel de Sapo to its special external appearance. Her appearance is reminiscent of a football. Their green to dark green skin is adorned with light stripes and has a rough structure. Inside it is whitish yellow. Their taste is sweet and crispy fresh. It is particularly delicious in salads or with smoked ham. However, the seeds are not edible. Incidentally, it is one of the most popular melon varieties in Spain. It is quite possible that you will find delicious fruit there on your next summer holiday.
Crimson Sweet
With a water content of 90%, the Crimson Sweet more than deserves the name “watermelon”. The juicy sweet fruit makes a real thirst quencher as a smoothie. A few glasses can also be filled from a fighting weight of up to 8 kg. The Crimson Sweet has green outer skin with light stripes and light red flesh.
Janosik
The dark green watermelon with yellow flesh comes from Poland and is a larger Petite Yellow. However, the egg-shaped melon weighing about 5 kg has a slightly sweeter taste than its little sister.
Ali Baba
The name suggests it: The Ali Baba watermelon comes from the Middle East. It comes with light green skin and juicy, red flesh. The sweet melon can weigh up to 7 kg and is not at all squeamish because the plant adapts to its environment. In her cool years, she simply becomes a little smaller.
Sweet Siberian
The oval melon with a light to dark green grain impresses with its flesh. The very sweet flesh can be light yellow to bright orange. The 2-4 kg fruit is great for outdoor cultivation. Sowing takes place from March to April, and harvests from August to October.
Cantaloupes
Cantaloupe melon
It takes its name from where it was originally cultivated: the papal estate Cantaloupe near Rome. You can recognize them by their green-yellow skin with a white mesh structure. Their orange flesh with seeds of the same color is slightly sticky, juicy, and sweet in taste. The round melon can weigh up to 2 kg.
Galia melon
Due to its sweetness, the specimen of this melon species is more suitable for desserts, it is one of the sweetest cantaloupe varieties. Cooled on hot summer days, it unfolds its full freshness. The sweet fruit is round like a bowling ball with a yellow to white-green close-meshed network structure. The light green to white flesh tastes sweet and sugary. Once the 1.5 kg melon is ripe, it cannot be stored for long. You can tell when they are ripe by the intense smell and wrinkled skin structure.
Honey or winter melon
It is a bit different from the other types of melon: elongated football shape and, above all, pureed as a face mask, it is an ideal moisturizing treatment for the skin! Other names are Yellow Canary Lady or Amarillo. The skin of the oval, sun-yellow fruit has a slightly grooved structure. The flesh is greenish-white and has sand-colored seeds. The honey-sweet melon weighs between 1 and 3 kg. With a sugar content of 10%, it is ideal as a starter and appetizer. It cuts a delicious figure, especially with ham or in a salad. If the skin yields slightly when pressure is applied, it is ripe and perfect for consumption.
Orange candy melon
The Orange Candy is a real nutrient giant. It contains plenty of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, and nitrates. It thus strengthens our immune system. Its peel feels supple and its scent is reminiscent of honey and lemon. Their orange flesh is slightly reminiscent of peaches. The sweet fruit tastes great on its own but is also particularly good in fresh salads.
Charentais melon
It belongs to the cantaloupe melon species but was bred in southern France near the town of Cavaillon. Nice to know: Alexandre Dumas has signed his literary work over to the city of Cavaillon – in exchange for a lifelong supply of Charentais. The round melon with a small point at the base of the stem has a green-white skin with a slight grooved grain and weighs between 1.5 and 3 kg. The orange flesh is super juicy, sweet, and has an intense melon flavor. The Charentais melon ripens very quickly and can be harvested several times a year. You can easily recognize an overripe fruit by the brownish stalk base.
AO-OO-Naga-Shima-Uri
No, that’s not a typo. It is a breed from Japan, whose name comes from the shape and breeding. You can grow her in. She needs a greenhouse with open sides as she doesn’t like direct sun. The melon with the crazy name is cylindrical and has green stripes. The light green flesh tastes rather mild has a classic pumpkin consistency, and contains very large seeds. She would prefer to mature in the dark because then she can mature in peace. On the other hand, in sunlight or at room temperature, it spoils in a few days.
Honeymoon melon
The honeymoon melon is one of the noble varieties. Its strong orange flesh has a wonderful honeydew melon flavor that unfolds in the mouth with every bite. The pleasant sweetness harmonizes perfectly with a nutty ham. It is also a real treat on its own as a light summer snack.
Tiger melon
2022 is the year of the tiger in the Asian calendar! Why not serve a cantaloupe melon-style tiger melon appropriately? This variety is one of the oldest cultivated melon species in the world! Their orange shell bears distinctive bright tiger stripes. The yellow-orange flesh with a small core is juicy and sticky. The taste is very sugary and sweet. The tiger melon can ripen several times a year and reach a diameter of up to 25 cm. Uncut, it can be kept for several days.
Sugar Baby Gold
She lives up to her name! The Sugar Baby Gold is often dubbed the “world’s sweetest melon”. Anyone who has ever tasted it can confirm the intense sweetness. The orange flesh has a rather crunchy texture, giving it that certain ‘bite’.
Gandalf
Yes, the one from Lord of the Rings. The breeders were such fans of Tolkien’s work that they named the bowler hat after their favorite character. You can recognize the round melon weighing 1 to 3 kg by its grey-orange skin with subtle green stripes. The bright orange flesh smells very sweet and has a fine, sugary honey aroma. Perfect for all those with a sweet tooth! Another plus point: It is very frugal and undemanding in cultivation. Once cut, you should eat them within 2 days.
Yubari King
It is one of the most expensive types of melon and only grows on Hokkaido, Japan’s large northern island. Up to $20,000 has been paid for a single specimen – and it doesn’t keep longer than other types of melon. It’s also not particularly noticeable visually. Like other cantaloupe melons, it has orange skin with a fine mesh structure and pumpkin-colored flesh. The taste, however, is surprisingly spicy, almost hot. It is reminiscent of caramelized chili. And something else is special: a patent is pending on the melon, it can only be grown in Yubari, a small town in Hokkaido. Otherwise, it must be named differently.
Waikiki melon
Aloha! The melon, which is reminiscent of a wonderful surfing beach, also belongs to the cantaloupe genus. The melon stands out for its salmon-orange color and intensely sweet taste. Especially in combination with salty ham, it is super tasty. However, it is also a wonderful summer snack on its own.
Snowball melon
The snowball melon really stands out in the fruit department. No wonder, because thanks to its white shell and irregular green dots, it is reminiscent of a dinosaur egg. The sugar melon has its origin in Japan. In the meantime, however, it is also cultivated in China, South America, and even in Spain. Its taste is reminiscent of honey with a slight hint of caramel. Unfortunately, this sweet thing is only available for a short time.
Jenny Lind
Jenny Lind is an ancient French honeydew melon named after a Swedish opera singer. Their shell is orange-brown, mottled green, coarsely wetted, and has a small turban. Their flesh, on the other hand, is green and has a fairly sweet taste. The 0.5 to 1.5 kg cantaloupe melon is perfect for all beginners in the melon growing game. Because it wears even in the not-so-warm summer.
Minnesota Midget
Small but nice: The Minnesota Midget is only 10 cm tall. On the other hand, she does not grow particularly fast and is best grown in heated greenhouses. Their yellow-green shell is decorated with a strong network pattern. Their orange-colored flesh is sweet in taste but unfortunately not particularly aromatic.
Lime melon
Lime or melon? The lime melon, also known as lime melon, combines both. The sweet taste of melon and the refreshing aroma of lime. In addition to its unique taste, the sweet fruit has even more to offer. A whole lot of vitamin C! It is also really good for our immune system. It has its origins in Taiwan in a professional seed breeding company that specializes in breeding unusual varieties.
