Friday, August 15, 2008

In Season: Melons!


Parents, if your kids are picky eaters, I say go with the flow. As long as you give them the opportunity to try new and different flavors, they'll find ones they like and don't like. For instance, I never liked melons. Something about their flavor was cloying and unpleasant. When all the other kids were sucking on slices of ripe watermelon and spitting the seeds at each other, I sat at the picnic table hoping they wouldn't notice I was unarmed.

Then a couple of years ago I bought two little charentais melons at the store, mostly because they were really cute, like little playground balls. In the car on the way home I noticed a heady aroma, floral and sweet, swirling around the car. Unpacking the bags, I realized it was coming from the melons, so I cut one open and tried a slice.

It wouldn't qualify as an epiphany, mind you, but now I enjoy melons in all their myriad permutations, from green and citrusy to luscious and sweet. So for you long-suffering parents, there is hope for your fussy ones, as long as you can wait a few decades for their palates to mature.

Photo of Galia melons at Ayers Creek Farm stand.

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