Canary Melons – Health Benefits, Uses and Important Facts

Canary melon, often known as the "Canary apple," is an oval fruit with a thin, tender skin. A mature melon will have a delicate ivory interior with a bright yellow, corrugated peel. The flesh is exceptionally succulent, almost wet and semi firm, like that of a ripe pear. The fruit has a dry, salmon-orange seed cavity inside the flesh. The melon has a slightly sour and sweet taste. Subtle hints of banana and pineapple intermingle with a faintly musky aftertaste to create a memorable scent. Melons with a weight between four and five pounds have the best flavour. Choose only Canary melons that are completely yellow in colour (no green tint on the skin), as this indicates that they are ripe and ready to be eaten. Prematurely picked melons never get as ripe as those left on the vine, thus they're not worth the money.

What are Canary melons?

Canary melons are medium-sized fruits, with an average diameter of 10 to 13 cm, and they have an elongated, oval shape that tapers slightly at both ends, like an American football. The skin of the melon is extremely robust, firm, thick, and semi-smooth, and is sometimes marked with brown spots. The flesh of a ripe melon may become slightly waxy, the skin may become gently corrugated, and the colour will deepen from a bright yellow to a lively bright yellow with orange undertones. The flesh, which lies behind the rind, has a beautiful variety of colours from ivory to white with mild green undertones; it is juicy, delicate, tender, and succulent. There are several tan oval seeds wrapped in stringy white fibres in the flesh's centre chamber. Since the seeds are so tough to chew, most people don't bother eating them. When mature, canary melons will have a hefty, substantial feel and a mild, tropical scent with notes of pineapple and banana. The sugar concentration in the flesh of the melons, measured by Brix, is about 13.9. This gives the melons their characteristic moderate sweetness and tang.

How did canary melons get its name?

The canary melon's vivid yellow rind inspired its namesake, the canary bird.

Nutritional value of canary melons:

Canary melons are high in the antioxidant vitamin C and the dietary fibre that help keep the digestive system in check. They also include a good amount of vitamin A, which helps the body fight off infections and inflammation. The melons also include some manganese, iron, calcium, and phosphorus in smaller amounts and are a rich source of vitamin A to keep bodily organs working properly.

Taste of canary melons:

Canary melons are perfect for fresh, chilled recipes due to their rich, sweet, and acidic flavour. The unique fruits' musky aroma is subdued in comparison to that of regular muskmelons, so their flesh goes well with many different flavours.

Use of canary melons:

Canary melons can be eaten out of hand after being halved, the seeds removed. Cut pieces of the flesh can be used as a decorative garnish for appetiser platters, mixed into fruit and green salads, diced for salsa, or eaten as a snack seasoned with lemon juice, salt, or ginger. Canary melons are not only delicious when served fresh, but also when juiced and used in fruit punches, cocktails, and mocktails, added to chilled soups, or cooked with herbs as a side dish. Jam, baked foods, granitas, popsicles, and sherbet are just a few of the many uses for melons.

History of canary melons:

The Canary melon's hue is what inspired the name, not the Canary Islands, which aren't mentioned anywhere in the name despite the fact that it was established that the melons were grown there. Its presumed Iranian ancestry, however, casts doubt on this. Because to its various growth shortcomings, the Canary melon is not the most popular commercial melon cultivar. Mildew, sunburn, and a lack of natural disease resistance mean that harvests of this plant often include imperfect or rotten fruit. It has a summer growing season, just like other winter melons, and does best in hot, dry regions. Canary melons are grown mostly in the fertile San Joaquin valley, California, which is home to a wide variety of other fruit and vegetable crops.

Health benefits of canary melons:

1. Great way to get your daily fibre intake.
2. Due to its high vitamin content, it acts as a shield against harmful free radicals.
3. Facilitates clear vision and corneal health.
4. Canary melons are low in calories but nonetheless manage to make you feel full.
5. Assists in lowering inflammation and boosting the immune system.

How do you tell a canary melon is ripe?

Always look for solid and ripe canary melons when shopping. The skin should be firm and wrinkle-free, and the colour should be a vibrant yellow. The melons you buy should have their stems attached, just like any other melon. This tasty fruit, the canary melon, keeps well after being picked from the vine thanks to its tough peel.

Amazing facts about canary melons:

1. When mature, canary melons give off a light, tropical scent with notes of pineapple and banana. The sugar concentration in the flesh of the melons, measured by Brix, is about 13.9. This gives the melons their characteristic moderate sweetness and tang.
2. The Canary melon, or Cucumis melo according to botany, is a delicious muskmelon that belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae.
3. Canary melons, unlike their muskmelon cousins, are farmed over the world for their sweet, juicy flesh and absence of musky fragrance.
4. Canary melons have a lengthy shelf life once they are picked off the vine because of their tough rinds, which protect them from damage.
5. Due to its high water content, it effectively replenishes fluids throughout the body.
6. Dried canary melons make a convenient, on-the-go snack that tastes just like fresh.
7. It is possible to extract seed oil by drying, roasting, or pressing the seeds. Thus, everything is replaceable. Moreover, the fruit's seeds are put in the ground.