All About Crenshaw Melon

Crenshaw melons (sometimes spelled Cranshaw) are believed to be one of the sweetest melons there are! A cross between a casaba melon and a cantaloupe, they have very sweet and peach colored flesh with a pleasing peppery heat.  

These big botanical berries add peppery sweet freshness to tons of recipes. Whether snacking on raw chunks of Crenshaw melon with lime and salt, chopping them into gazpacho or grilling thick Crenshaw slices alongside jumbo shrimp, Crenshaw melons is an everyday fruit that elevates every meal! 

On the outside, crenshaw melons are mostly yellow with dashes of green throughout, eventually turning more yellow and ochre as it ripens. Inside, the Crenshaw melon has peachy yellow fruit, that’s very soft like honeydew or cantaloupe fruit. The seeds inside are light brown.

In order to tell whether a crenshaw melon is ripe (or just about any melon for that matter), you’ll use all your senses. The whole fruit will feel heavy and firm, but not too hard, and may weigh between eight and 10 pounds. Press your thumb into the end where the stem used to be, and feel that it yields to gentle pressure. When ripe, this melon’s skin is mostly yellow, and it has a signature sweet, musky fragrance. Finally, some Crenshaw melon enthusiasts insist that you give ‘em a good shake. Rattling seeds are an indication of soft, ripe melon inside! 

Storing these big melons is a dream. Crenshaw’s shelf life is known to be longer than other melons thanks to their hard, waxy rind. Fresh Crenshaw melons can be stored on the countertop until they fully ripen. They can last up to three weeks on the countertop, depending on your climate.

Crenshaw melons are botanical berries that grow on vines. They are part of a group of melons called muskmelons that are believed to be so ancient that it’s hard to pin down their origin. It’s thought that these juicy melons are native to parts of Africa and Central Asia. Today these melons are cultivated throughout the globe. These melons peak in the summer and are available through the early winter.

Crenshaw melons are botanical berries that grow on vines. They are part of a group of melons called muskmelons that are believed to be so ancient that it’s hard to pin down their origin. It’s thought that these juicy melons are native to parts of Africa and Central Asia. Today these melons are cultivated throughout the globe.

Crenshaw melons peak in the summer and are available through the early winter.

Crenshaw and casaba melons are often confused, in part because they share a lot of physical similarities. That’s because the casaba is a parent of Crenshaw! The Crenshaw melon is a cross between the casaba and Persian melons (also known as cantaloupe), and has a similar shape and size to its acorn-shaped casaba mama.

The Creshaw melon is larger than the casaba, some clocking in at 10 lbs! Their rind is similar in color and texture - smooth and yellowish green with a slight netted, waxy feel. However, the insides of these two fruits are different. Crenshaw melon has pinkish-peach colored fruit while casaba’s is yellowish white. Some say the Crenshaw is even sweeter than the casaba melon, with a more pronounced peppery heat.

Whether a Crenshaw melon is certified organic or not will depend on the farm where it was grown. At FruitStand, we only partner with the best specialty farms for exceptional quality of produce. When each harvest is available, we'll tell you whether the fruit is considered organic or conventional.

If you’ve ever wondered where to buy Crenshaw melon, we’ve got great news for you! FruitStand is proud to partner with small, specialty farmers to bring you exceptional quality Crenshaw melon. To be the first to know when FruitStand is shipping Crenshaw melon harvests, join our email newsletter!

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