|
There are so many more textures and flavors than
the average American grocery store offers.
Additionally, what is typically sold as "cantaloupe" are usually muskmelons so
there is confusion caused by marketing.
 There are eight distinct groups (some refer to
them as subspecies) of Cucumis melo (melons). Although they are
useful in sorting melons for descriptive purposes, all groups will cross with
each other.
[If you want to learn about
everything that there is to know about melons of all types, you will benefit
from the book "Melons
for the Passionate Grower" by Amy Goldman.]
Click Here for melon
growing information.
|
 Bender's
Surprise Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
95 days —
A once popular variety. Fruits oblong to round in shape, distinctly ribbed, coarsely netted, averaging 6 to 7 pounds. Flesh is salmon colored, very
thick, and a real nice sweet 'old time' muskmelon
taste. Turns a grayish yellow at maturity.
According to Amy Goldman in her book
"Melons
for the Passionate Grower", Charles Bender of New York
began growing melons in 1884. Using three popular varieties
of the day - 'Surprise' (introduced 1876), 'Irondequioit' (1889) and
'Tip Top' (1892,
A. W.
Livingston) - he worked at breeding a melon with the best
qualities of each which he named after himself. |
|
 Burrell's
Jumbo Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
82 days
—
Selected from
'Hale's Best' by D. V.
Burrell. Large fruits are well suited for both home and
market gardeners. The netted melons weigh up to five pounds and
have thick, sweet salmon-colored flesh. |
|
Eden
Gem (Rocky Ford, Green Fleshed) Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
90 days
—
Introduced in 1881. The fruits are
two to
three pounds, heavily netted, slightly ribbed and prolific. The
flesh is green. Very sweet and tasty. |
 |
|
 Edisto
Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
90 days
—
Oval fruits that are finely netted, with light
ribs and weigh about four pounds. They have orange flesh
with a small seed cavity. Does well in hot, humid
conditions. Released in 1957 by Clemson Agricultural Experimental Station. |
|
 Hale's Best Jumbo Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
85 days
—
Large, early. Thick, salmon-orange flesh.
Oval shaped fruit, heavy netting. 3½ to five pounds each.
Introduced about 1924.1 |
|
 Honey
Rock Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
80 days
—
The fruits are up to six inches in diameter
with a tough, coarsely netted skin and sweet, flavorful salmon
colored flesh. The plants are vigorous, produce five to
seven
fruits per plant and are fusarium wilt resistant.'Honey Rock' is said to have
been a result of a cross between 'Champlain', 'Irondequoit' and
'Honey Dew' and was introduced by Watt Richardson of Ohio in
about 1920.1
An "All-American Selection®"
winner in 1933. |
|
 Minnesota
Midget
(Reticulatus
Group)
70 days
- Very early maturing. The plants are compact and some folks
report that this variety does well growing in tubs. The fruits are small, five to
six
inches in diameter, weighing thirteen ounces to one and a half
pounds, delicious flavor. Fruit slips from vine when ripe.
Developed at the
University of Minnesota and introduced by Farmer Seed in about 1948. |
|
|
|
 Noir
des Carmes Cantaloupe
(Cantalupensis
Group)
90 days — This French
heirloom, also known as 'Early Black-Rock'
(3), dates
to before the 1860s and
is now somewhat rare. In American markets, the terms cantaloupe and
muskmelon are often used interchangeably. This is a true European
cantaloupe.
The fruits are large, 2½ to three pounds, and
the skin is very dark-green, nearly black. Ripens lighter to a
golden color as it ripens. Flesh is tender - not mushy, not
hard - juicy and sweet. Good flavor. |
|
|
|
 Old
Time Tennessee Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
100 days
—
A very old variety. It has been dropped from
commercial catalogs, is rare and seems to be near extinction. The
fruits weigh an average of twelve pounds, are twelve to sixteen inches in length,
and are elliptical or football-shaped. There are about 25
seeds per gram.
From
our grower in Tennessee,
David Pendergrass writes, "My
personal favorite muskmelon. They must be picked at the peak of
ripeness, when the fruit has turned a golden-yellow and they easily
slip from vine. They should be dead ripe for the best taste. They do
not keep very long. Sweet aroma that will carry over a long
distance. Definitely not a shipping melon." This is a
garden-to-table melon. |
|
 Osage
Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
90 days —
Oval or egg shaped, with slight to moderate ribbing and slight netting. The outside rind is dark green when immature, ripening to a mottled orange green. Has a small seed cavity. Flesh is thick and salmon colored with a sweet spicy flavor. Weighs between
three to
five pounds.The origin of 'Osage' was a
selection of a natural cross between 'Orange Christiana' and a
"small black melon obtained from a Swedish gardener on the Osage
River in Missouri" by Roland Morrill of Benton Harbor, Michigan
in about 1880. It was released commercially by Vaughn's
Seed Store in 1887.1 |
|
 Planter's
Jumbo Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
88 days
—
The vines are vigorous, are mildew resistant, and do well in drought
or high rainfall. The fruits have a firm rind with light
ribs and thick, orange flesh, weighing four or five pounds on
average. Selected in 1954 by the USDA and Clemson, South
Carolina
Agricultural Experimental Station. |
|
 Plum Granny
(Dudaim Group)
75 days
—
Also
known as 'Queen Anne’s Pocket Melon', 'Vine Pomegranate' and
'Perfume Melon'. A very fragrant heirloom. According
to Amy Goldman in her book, "Melons
for the Passionate Grower," this variety has been know
for at least 1000 years. Used in the Victorian-era as a
perfume to mask body odor by carrying in pockets and purses.
The skin of the apple-sized fruit are yellow with deep orange-red
stripes and white flesh. They are edible and some folks like
the flavor. They are kind of like a cucumber without the
crunch. One or two melons fill a room with their perfume.
Our stock comes from David Pendergrass, whose grandmother raised
these melons for years. |
|
 Schoon's
Hardshell Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
90 days
—
The fruits have a very hard shell and are
almost round, weighing up to eight pounds. The flesh is
apricot-colored, sweet and very tasty. Unlike other
varieties, they maintain their taste and texture days after being
harvested. Said to possess better eating qualities than 'Bender's Surprise' and is a
good shipper. Reportedly a cross between 'Bender's Surprise' and
'Honey
Rock'. Introduced by F. H. Woodruff & Sons of Milford,
Connecticut in about 1947. |
|
 Small
Persian Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
115 days
—
The plants have a deep root system and
require less moisture. Ideal for
California. The fruit
can weigh up to seven pounds, are globe-shaped with no ribbing,
have fine netting, and bright orange
flesh with a small seed cavity. |
|
 Tip
Top (Livingston’s Tip Top Nutmeg)
(Reticulatus Group)
90 days
— Introduced by the
A. W. Livingston Seed Company in 1892, this grand old
melon was once the standard by which all other melons were judged.
Livingston first observed this melon being sold at a ‘fancy’
vegetable stand in Columbus, Ohio by a gentleman formally from
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania who had brought the seed with him
when he relocated to the area. Our parent seed was accession
number NSL 8522 and it was grown out by
David Pendergrass.
The fruits are large, averaging six to
eight pounds, the shape is round to oblong, distinctly ribbed with
moderate to light netting. The flesh is a deep salmon color,
very thick and sweet. You can just about eat it down to the
outside rind.
The following
statement appeared in many old Livingston catalog descriptions and
we think it still holds true today:
"The
testimony of all who use Tip Top is that every melon produced,
whether big or little, early or late, is a good one; sweet, juicy,
finest flavor, firm fleshed and eatable to the outside coating."
|
|
 Top Mark Muskmelon
(Reticulatus Group)
90 days — A fine shipping variety with a tough rind to protect fruit from
bruising. May be picked at full slip stage of maturity. the oval fruits are 3 to
3½ pounds and measure 5 x 5½ inches. The flesh is sweet, deep
salmon colored with a small seed cavity. [Approximately 35 seeds / gram] |
|
|
Indicates New Variety for 2008
Security
