How to Eat Honeydew Melon

When slicing a honeydew melon, remember safety first. Always use a sharp chef’s knife and a heavy cutting board, secured with a wet towel underneath to keep the board stable. 

• Honeydew melons have a thick, waxy peel on the outside with softer, dense fruit on the inside. Start by slicing away ½ inch of the peel at the end of the melon where it was cut from the vine. Then, sit the honeydew upright on this flat surface. Starting at the top, slice away the rind in strips perpendicular to the cutting board. Cut all the way around the fruit, leaving no bitter rind on the melon flesh. Finish by slicing away the remaining round top of the rind.
• Cut the honeydew in half from top to bottom. Set one half aside.
• Scooped seeds away for roasting, or toss them into the compost bin.
• Lay the long, flat surface of the melon on the cutting board, and cut the fruit into ½” or 1” slices. Serve as is, or sprinkled with spices, salt and lime.

Honeydew melons are incredibly versatile fruits that find homes in tons of recipes. Fresh honeydew melon can be prepared in both sweet and savory recipes for any time of day!

• Grilling: Turn up the heat to bring out honeydew melon’s natural sweetness. These summer fruits are begging to be sliced, skewered and caramelized at the next barbeque. You can also grill thick slices of honeydew along with your peaches and plums for a unique, grilled fruit salad.
• Baking: Honeydew melons can be baked into cakes, breads and delicate pastries like tarts.
• Confection: Sweet, crisp honeydew melons are delicious in jams, jellies and candy making.
• Roasting: Roast honeydew seeds with salt and spices for a savory snack, or the fruit to make a warm honeydew compote.

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.

Here are some easy ways use honeydew melon in your drinks:

• Juicing: Melons should have their rind and seeds removed before feeding the flesh into an electric juicer. Melon juice is delicious on its own or with other fruits and green vegetables.
• Smoothies: If you’re wondering what to do with ripe melons, smoothies are a fantastic option. To prepare your melons for smoothies, slice the fruit into chunks and freeze them on a cookie sheet with space in between each piece. Once frozen, store them in an airtight container in the freezer. You can easily pop frozen melons cubes into smoothies!
• Cocktails: From liqueurs to tiki drinks and delicate cocktails, honeydew ads fruity sweetness with spa-like subtlety.
• Water: Dice up or melon ball pieces of honeydew melon to add to your water bottle along with fresh herbs like mint for an eye catching and delicious refresher.

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.

Do you feel like a honeydew melon eating expert now? Show us your favorite ways to prepare and eat honeydew melon by tagging us in your culinary masterpieces on Instagram @Fruitstandcom!