I just love garden surprises! I go out into my garden just to say hello to my plants and then bing! There it is! Today it was a cantaloupe that is about the size of a grapefruit.
Did you know that cantaloupe is the only fruit that will slip from the vine when it is ready? So harvesting it is basically fool proof. You can also smell cantaloupes from several feet away when they are ripe. It’s a very sweet smell that makes your mouth water!
But that smell also attracts fruit flies and ants. So keep an eye on your cantaloupes as they come close to maturity. Last summer, one of my lopes was almost destroyed by a gaggle of ants that found their way to my precious produce.
Below is a picture of that very cantaloupe. I had to cut the top part off where the ants had gotten to it, but it was still able to be salvaged….and boy was it sweet:
Cantaloupes are probably my hubby’s most favorite thing that comes from the garden. Here’s another garden nugget that you may not know about: they have lots of potassium and are great for lowering your blood pressure! Who says sweet treats aren’t good for you?!
Well this is all for now garden gals and guys. Until next time!
Happy gardening!
audra – i had no idea that the cantaloupe slipped from the vine when it was ripe. thats certainly something to keep in mind.
hugs and the blog is doing wonderful.
frank
This is one huge melon (!!) or I'm not looking at it with the proper perspective. Is it sitting on a table top and is that the back of a chair (black) behind it?
Thanks for the kind comments, Big Brother.
Carolyn, it was a pretty huge melon, larger than any I've ever seen in the store. However, it was sitting on a plate on my stove, so that black thing is the burner.
Audra,
Very nice article–and I was ready to jump through the computer to bite that melon. Your web site is really nice too. Now that I am struggling with mine I have a better appreciation…
Love ya!
Dad