Food Encyclopedia

Crenshaw melon

Considered one of the most sweetly succulent members of the melon family, the Crenshaw is a hybrid of the casaba and cantaloupe. It has a golden-green, smooth yet lightly ribbed rind and a beautiful salmon-orange flesh. The fragrance of a ripe Crenshaw melon is seductively spicy. These melons are large (5 to 9 pounds) with an oval shape that's rounded at the blossom end and slightly pointed at the stem end. They're available from July to October, with the peak season from August to mid-September. See also melon.