Joni Sare, cooking instructor

How to tell the difference between cantaloupe and muskmelon

This is a Tuscan-style Cantaloupe, set apart from other cantaloupes by its deep groves. The yellow one on the LEFT is ready to eat, the greenish one on the RIGHT will be ripe in a couple of days. See RIPENING tip, below.

 

Join me at the market! … here is the type of info I will share while at the market with you…. (Recipe links, below.)

What’s the difference between a “cantaloupe” and a “muskmelon” ?

  • After researching online, I found no definitive answer, and mostly contradictory information.
  • Some sites claim that “cantaloupes” can only be obtained in Europe.
  • Cantaloupe is one type of many muskmelons … and other sites say… muskmelon is one type of many cantaloupes.
  • Cantaloupe has more defined webbing/netting on the outer skin, and muskmelons have webbing/netting yet is more smooth, not as defined.
  • I talked with Dulcinea Farms, in Ladera Ranch, CA – they say about 10 years ago (circa 2000) they developed their own seed of Tuscan-style Cantaloupe, see image, above. (Btw – Caley, from Dulcinea Farms said this is a hybrid, a non-GMO seed).

Click here to learn:

How to select a cantaloupe, muskmelon ….and… other tips

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Recipes:

More info:

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