Honeydew Melon FAQs

Honeydew may be the planet’s favorite melon. Botanically known as Cucumis melo, honeydews are related to gourds and are technically berries!

Honeydew melons are incredibly versatile fruits that find homes in tons of recipes. From fruit salads to spiced chutneys, midori sours or wrapped in prosciutto, honeydews are a fantastic canvas for culinary creativity. Fresh honeydew melon can be prepared in both sweet and savory recipes, and in drinks for every age! 

It’s easy to tell when one of these beauties is ripe. First, the honeydew melon should have a pleasantly sweet and slightly musky smell. The whole fruit should feel heavy for its size in your hands, and should be free of blemishes. Press gently into the melon with your thumb and feel it yield gently. Finally, tap firmly on the fruit with one of your fingers. There should be a hollow sound. If the melon is hard and sounds muted or flat, it may still need to ripen.

From what we can tell, It’s uncertain exactly where the honeydew melon originated. There appears to be a relationship between the North American honeydew melon and a cultivar from Algeria in North Africa and the south of France. Today honeydews sprout from climbing vines throughout North, Central and South America, as well as China.

On the outside, honeydew melons have a pale, greenish white rind that’s smooth and firm. Inside, the semi-firm honeydew melon flesh is a fresh, pastel green color that shines with juicy goodness. At the center, elongated teardrop shaped seeds are small and offwhite.

First, the honeydew melon should have a pleasantly sweet and slightly musky smell. The whole fruit should feel heavy for its size in your hands, and should be free of blemishes. Press gently into the melon with your thumb and feel it yield gently. If it’s hard, let the melon sit for another day or two.

Now, look at the color of the rind. Honeydews have a pale green rind that can be somewhat white or yellow. Finally, tap firmly on the fruit with one of your fingers. There should be a hollow sound. If it sounds muted or flat, it may still need to ripen.

Honeydews are one heck of a culinary canvas! Beneath their tough rinds, honeydew’s crisp, sweet flesh is a welcome addition to many kinds of recipes. Enjoy raw honeydew melon in salads, smoothies, shakes and sorbets.

Turn up the heat to bring out their natural sugars! Toss slices on the grill for fruity caramelization, cook honeydew down into candies and syrups, or bake the delicate fruit into pastries. Experiment with this versatile fruit and share your experiences with us on Instagram @Fruitstandcom.

Did you know that roasted honeydew melon seeds are a thing? It’s true! Raw honeydew melon seeds are inedible, but toasting them up in the oven with a dash of salt makes for a fresh, crunchy snack!

From what we can tell, it’s uncertain exactly where the honeydew melon originated. There appears to be a relationship between the North American honeydew melon and a cultivar from Algeria in North Africa and the south of France. Today honeydews also grow throughout North, Central and South America, as well as China.

Like many other melons, honeydew melons grow on climbing vines.

A ripe slice of fresh honeydew melon at peak season is one of life's great pleasures. Lucky for us, it’s also packed with nutrients that can come with great health benefits. Keep reading to learn the nutrition of honeydew melon.

Honeydew Melon Nutrition (100g)

• Calories: 36
• Protein: .5 g
• Carbohydrates: 9g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 8g
• Calcium: 6mg
• Magnesium: 10mg
• Phosphorus: 11mg
• Potassium: 228 mg
• Sodium: 18mg
• Vitamin C: 18mg

Read more about the nutrition of honeydew melon by the USDA here.

The honeydew melon season in the United States lasts from about June through October, peaking in the early summer.

Honeydew melons are incredibly versatile fruits that find homes in tons of recipes. From fruit salads to spiced chutneys, midori sours or wrapped in prosciutto, honeydews are a fantastic canvas for culinary creativity. Fresh honeydew melon can be prepared in both sweet and savory recipes, and in drinks for every age!

Fresh honeydew melon has refreshing sweetness with subtle flavor. Pleasingly soft when ripe, honeydew melon has pale green flesh that tastes a lot like a sweet, slightly musky cucumber with nectarous juice. As honeydew melons ripen, their fragrance becomes stronger and the fruit becomes sweeter.

Honeydew melons are loved by people of all ages! These big botanical berries add musky sweetness to tons of recipes. Whether sneaking raw hunks of honeydew from the fruit salad, searing slices on the grill or cooking them into confections, honeydew melons are the epitome of versatility!

There are countless ways to add fresh, crisp, honeydew melon sweetness to drink recipes. Honeydew is delicious in juices, enhanced waters, cocktails, batch drinks, smoothies and liqueurs. To make delicious alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, use your melons to make a basic syrup or toss frozen chunks into your blender to sip on something a little more slushy.

Fresh honeydew melons can be stored on the countertop for three to four days to ripen. Those living in warmer or more humid climates may find better success keeping honeydews in the refrigerator. Cut or ripe honeydew melons can be stored in the fridge for up to five days.

To freeze honeydew melons, wait until they are fully ripened. Then, slice the honeydew to remove the inedible seeds and rind. Freeze sliced melon on a cookie sheet with space between each piece. Once frozen, store the fruit in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.

Yes! Honeydew melon is safe for dogs to eat. Frozen chunks of honeydew melon may be a delicious and soothing treat to teething puppies! Over at FruitStand, we love sharing fruit with our wet-nosed friends, so we encourage you to clear the safety of any new fruits or veggies with your veterinarian before offering them your pooch.

Honeydew melon is light green with almost clear, nectary juice. If some of the fruit or juice falls onto certain fabrics, it may still leave a slight mark. Smock up before devouring very ripe honeydew!

If honeydew melon drops onto your clothing, tablecloth or napkins, first treat the spot with a stain remover that’s safe for that particular fabric. Follow the directions on the product to prevent the spot from setting, and pop the item into the washer as soon as you can.

Perhaps two of the most common melons found on fruit platters across America, honeydew and cantaloupe are both sweet, delicious varieties of melons. From the inside out, both have seeds at the center of the fruit, surrounded by firm yet fleshy fruit and a thin, tough rind covering the round melon.

However, these are totally different melon experiences, in flavor, color and aroma. Honeydew has a milder flavor that some say is sweeter than cantaloupe, with cucumber-green flesh and a musky aroma. On the other hand, cantaloupes have orange flesh that’s sweet with a hint of strawberry.

Has your once sweet-smelling melon gone from honeydew to honey don’t? It’s easy to get bad smells from honeydew melon out of your house with a few simple steps.

First, discard any spoiled honeydew melon and get it outside! Then, clean the area where honeydew melon was stored with hot, soapy water or home cleaning spray. Let it dry thoroughly.

To prevent bad smells from fruit in your kitchen and home, keep an old-fashioned box of baking soda in your fridge and anywhere you store food every two to three months to prevent unpleasant aromas before they start. Immediately refrigerate cut honeydew melon in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When not refrigerated, only store whole, fresh fruit in a cool, clean and well-ventilated area. See our section on how to store honeydew melon for help on keeping them fresher for longer!

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