MELONS: CANTALOUPE,
HONEYDEW, WATERMELON
Melons enjoy the rank as the most vitamin-rich fruit. A healthy eating
diet should consist of eating or juicing any variety of this beneficial
fruit. Varieties include cantaloupe, honeydews, watermelon, and casaba.
Most honeydew are produced in California and Arizona. They are at their
peek abundance in July through September.
Of all melons, cantaloupe are the richest in vitamins and mineral content.
Texas produces outstanding cantaloupe, with the prime season in the Summer
months of June and July.
When looking for melons, follow their firmness, feel and smell. A ripe
cantaloupe will have a sweet fragrance. A ripe honeydew possesses a creamy
yellow surface color. Examining the flesh of the melon reveals full ripeness.
Casaba melons are cream in color, honeydews are a yellowish-cream, and
cantaloupe is a heavy shade of salmon.
The deeper the color of the flesh indicates a heavier presence of Vitamin
A, one of the melons' most abundant vitamins.
Ripe watermelons have a dull, hollow sound when thumped. Good watermelon
has firm, crisp, juicy flesh. It is never dry or fibrous.
Beneficial Effects:
Melons contain tremendous amounts of the essential vitamins A, B and
C. A glass of cantaloupe juice is a perfect way to start the morning.
They also contain a significant amount of distilled water, with plenty
of minerals.
Melons are high in silicon, a trace mineral that is often lacking in
common diets. Many of the melons' nutrients are located in the rind.
Therefore, when juicing, juice the flesh and the rind of the melon.
Melons, particularly watermelon, are efficient eliminators. Overall,
they are an excellent food for rejuvenation and alkalinizing the body.
Make it a point to juice or eat them during their peek summer months.
