(43-329) Melon Lessons

It's now officially summer; and one of the things that I like best about this season, is it's fruit.  OK, let's face it, I love pretty much everything about summer, but of all the seasons, I have to say I'm most partial to the fruits of summer.

Now fan of fruit that I am; I've never been sure about how to pick them.  Obviously I know that I don't want bruised nectarines, or cherries; but when it comes to the melons, other than givin a Cantaloupe or Honeydew a sniff; up until a few days ago, I had no idea how to tell if they were ripe.  Funny story about sniffin a fruit.  A couple of weeks ago Luis and I were in Sam's Club and I saw some beautiful, Pineapples. I picked one up and went to smell it and man I must have forgotten what I was dealing with because I put that baby so close to my nose that I scratched it up.  The Pineapple had a terrific scent, and the center leaf pulled out easily,  so we put it in our cart, and I promptly wondered why my nose was hurting.  I touched my nose and realized that I had scratched it with the Pineapple and I felt like a first class moron.  BUT, I have to say that the Pineapple that bruised me, was indeed delicious.

On Sunday Kelsie and I went to do some grocery shopping.  While we were in Sam's I saw Cantaloupe for a really good price, and while I was smelling them, a lady turned to the demonstrator that was nearby and asked her to show me how to tell if a Cantaloupe was ripe.  I was anxious to know the real method, and encouraged her to explain.  She told me that I could smell them, as I'd been doing, but you could also push on the little button area and if it had give to it, it was good to purchase.  I chose two (because I told you - the price was really good) and I cut them up tonight and both were perfect. 

After Sam's Kels and I went to Super Wal-mart, where I found watermelon on sale.  I mentioned to Kelsie that I had no idea how to choose a Watermelon as they didn't usually give off a smell.  Kelsie told me that I was supposed to thump it, and when I asked her how she knew that, she told me that she learned that from "Olivia" (the cartoon .)  I asked why I was supposed to thump it, but she didn't know so I took the initiative to locate a produce clerk and ask for help.  The clerk told me that you thump on it (he must watch Olivia too - hahaha); and when I asked why he said that if it had some give to it, as opposed to sounding dense, then it was ready.  It wasn't quite as easy a concept to grasp as the Cantaloupe method, but I chose a Watermelon, and according to Kelsie, (who I couldn't cut it fast enough for); it was fantastic.

I'm always so happy to learn a new domestic trick.  Unfortunately, losing my mom so young, there were a lot of lessons that I missed out on.  Perhaps many of you already knew how to test your fruit; but in case this is news to you too, I'm so happy that I could share my new found knowledge.  If you have additional fruit testing tips for me, please leave me a comment here or on Facebook.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING   

(43-29) Fruits

Tonight I was in need of a topic; so I drew from Mari's "Memories and Thoughts" jar; and the piece of paper that I chose read, "What is your favorite fruit and what is your least favorite fruit?"  Remember, I said I "CHOSE" this piece of paper.   I just thought I'd keep it nice and simple this evening.

So I'm going to go at this backwards; big surprise; right?
My LEAST favorite fruit would have to be Strawberries (and the gasps abound.)  Yes I know; they're gorgeous, they're succulent and you'd be hard pressed to find a fruit that looks more appetizing than a strawberry; but the reason that it's my least favorite, is because I'm allergic to them.  Strawberries make me break out in hives and therefore I avoid them at all costs.  OK, so maybe that's cheating a little bit.  I hate strawberries because I can't eat strawberries; so being the Queen of FAIRNESS; I'll tell you my REAL least favorite fruit; and that would be Papaya.

Papaya - YUCK!  Even the name almost makes me gag.  (SORRY Papaya lovers.)  If you're not familiar with Papaya, you're lucky!  No, just kidding.  Papaya is a tropical fruit and sadly it masquerades itself as a mango on the outside; but inside there is a noxious smelling fruit that is just down right offensive.  Simply look at that picture; it just looks WRONG; a lovely melon colored fruit with all those disgusting black seeds. Blah!  I don't think that I could take a bite of Papaya if you paid me; so I think it's safe to say that it is DEFINITELY my least favorite.

Saved the best for last I did.  You know me, I always like to end on a positive note.  And with that being said; my FAVORITE fruit (are you on the edge of your seat yet;) is PINEAPPLE!  I just felt like the Chairmen on "Iron Chef" revealing the secret ingredient...  OHH Pineapple!  What a yummy treat.  When they're ripe and you can actually smell the sweetness emanating from their prickly hide, there is NOTHING better.  I relish the thought of a juicy bite of Pineapple.  Now in many ways Pineapple can be both a blessing and a curse.  First of all, in the fruit department I can't think of another that requires as much work to actually get to the delicious piece of fruit.  Strawberry, nope you just rinse it off and eat it.  Pineapple = work (if you buy it whole.)   Secondly, Pineapple can sometimes give you a little canker sore on your mouth; but isn't that human nature; we often want something that we know may cause us pain; right ladies??  Who knew I was going to get all psychological about fruit?  But I digress...

When I was pondering the question of my favorite fruit, for a moment I considered saying mango, but then when I thought about it, I realized that one of the things I like best about Mango is that you can taste other fruits in it; especially PINEAPPLE!  A bite of pineapple and I'm on vacation.  And Pineapple Upside Down Cake, need I say more?   So there you have it; Pineapple is my favorite fruit and I'm sticking to it.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING