Pick Me, Says the Cantaloupe

I ran into the grocery store on Monday at lunch to grab a couple items and I needed some fruit to get me through the week and was also cheap, so I picked up a cantaloupe and a pineapple.  Today I want to talk about the cantaloupe.

Did you know that the cantaloupe originated in India and Africa?  I bet you knew that it is in the family of melons and squashes. I also found out that they need a warmer climate to grow. Cantaloupes were supposedly introduced to North America by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage in 1494.  Interesting stuff.


The main thing that I like about cantaloupe is that it is easy to cut up and eat, especially in fruit salad. I usually will buy one and cut it into chunks and then store them individually for each days' fruit serving but make sure once it is cut up that you do not store for more than 3 days.  It can then start collecting bacteria.

The one thing that you need to remember is make sure that you are washing the outside of the cantaloupe.  The reason is that the grooves in the cantaloupe can harbor bacteria, so make sure you wash the outside good before cutting it up.  I used to never think about this because I thought I am not eating the outside of the fruit, so why should I was it but it is better to be safe than sorry.