Honeydew (melon) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Honeydew |
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| Species | Cucumis melo |
| Cultivar group | Inodorus Group |
| Origin | France |
Honeydew, also known as Honey Melon, is a sweet and juicy fruit. It's a type of melon that belongs to a group called "muskmelons." This group includes other popular melons like cantaloupe and winter melons.
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What Makes Honeydew Special?
Honeydew melons are usually round or a bit oval. They are typically about 15 to 22 centimeters (6 to 9 inches) long. A single honeydew can weigh from 1.8 to 3.6 kilograms (4 to 8 pounds).
The inside of the melon, called the flesh, is often a light green color. The smooth skin, or peel, can be greenish or yellow. Like most fruits, honeydew melons have seeds inside. People usually eat the sweet inner flesh, often as a dessert.
You can find honeydew melons in supermarkets all over the world. They are often sold next to cantaloupe melons and watermelons. In places like California, honeydew is ready to harvest from August to October.
How Honeydew Melons Grow
Honeydew melons grow best in places with a semiarid climate, which means it's quite dry. Farmers pick the melons when they are ripe, not just when they are big enough.
It can be tricky to tell if a honeydew is ripe. Farmers look at the "ground color" of the melon. If it's greenish-white, it's not ready yet. But if it's a creamy yellow color, it's mature and ready to eat!
A good quality honeydew melon should be almost perfectly round. Its surface should be smooth and free of any scars or marks. A ripe honeydew should also feel heavy for its size. The skin should feel waxy, not fuzzy.
Where Did Honeydew Melons Come From?
The name "Honeydew" is actually the American name for this melon. Its original name is the White Antibes cultivar. This type of melon has been grown for many years in southern France and Algeria.
In China, honeydews are known by a different name: Bailan melons. These melons are very famous in the area around Lanzhou. Lanzhou is the capital city of the Gansu province in northwest China.
Images for kids
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Honeydew melon flower
See also
In Spanish: Melón verde para niños
