Honeydew

H is for Honeydew

Honeydew is a type of melon that you can buy fresh or frozen. It’s in season for a long time, from June to November, so it’s usually easy to find fresh melons in your local grocery store. If it’s not available fresh, you can find it in the freezer section with bagged fruit. It may come in a frozen fruit blend, ready to go into a smoothie!

All melons are a type of berry, because they grow from a flower and have seeds inside the fruit. Melons, squashes, and even cucumbers all grow on vines and come from the same plant family, which is why they often look similar to each other when cut in half. Honeydew melons have a lot of vitamin C, so they can help prevent illness and infection. They’re also a good source of potassium, which keeps your heart (and other muscles) strong.

Honeydew makes a great snack all on its own, or you can mix it into yogurt or a salad. You can also try some of these tasty recipes! Have little ones help clean out the seeds with a big spoon. It’s messy fun, and a great way to talk about how things grow!

Honeydew and Cucumber Salad                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 3 large cucumbers – peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 honeydew melon – peeled, seeded and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup white sugar (optional)

Directions

1. Place the cucumber and honeydew melon chunks into a large bowl.
2. Whisk together the vegetable oil, lemon juice, and sugar in a small bowl until well blended.
3. Pour dressing over the cucumber and melon; mix well. Allow to rest for 1 hour before serving.

 

Chicken and Melon Salad                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  recipe adapted from allrecipes.com                                                                     

Ingredients

• 1 honeydew melon
• 6 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 2 cups seedless grapes
• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts (optional)
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cut melon in half, and remove seeds. Dice melon into small cubes, or use a melon baller to scoop out melon balls; place in a large salad bowl.
2. Add chicken, celery, and grapes to melon. Add water chestnuts if desired.
3. In a small bowl, mix together yogurt and curry powder. Gently stir into salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

 

Orange Sunrise Smoothie                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 banana, frozen and chunked
• 1 peach, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup honeydew melon, cubed
• 1 (8 ounce) container orange yogurt
• 1/2 cup ice

Directions

1. Combine the orange juice, banana, peach, honeydew melon, yogurt, sugar, and ice in a blender. Blend until smooth, or chunky, as desired.
2. Pour into two glasses and serve.

*Want to try something different? Replace the orange juice with pineapple juice and the orange yogurt with lime yogurt. Now you have a cool tropical melon smoothie!