Cantaloupe? This Time of Year?

When I first started in the produce industry over 30 years ago, I remember anticipating the first Cantaloupe of the season.  We used to get the cute little "cannonball" Cantloupes from Northern Mexico.  They were tiny, but they were sweet as any summer Cantaloupe.  They came in wooden crates, most of them topped off with shaved ice.  It was quite a site every Spring.  Well, now, we can find Cantaloupe 365 days a year in the produce department.  Most of our Winter Cantaloupe come from Central America, places like Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras.  They take a boat to the United States and then days on a truck before it reaches our stores.  It's challenging to get a good Cantaloupe this time of year.  I can hear all of my "buy local" buddies saying, "See there.  You should only buy what's local and what's in season."  Well, I don't want to take our food system back 200 years.  I'd rather look forward, take what we have, and make it better.  So how do you make the Cantaloupe this time of year any better?  Two things.  First, leave it out on your countertop, and covered.  It'll take several days, so be patient.  A Cantaloupe, once picked, will not gain any more sugar content.  By leaving the Cantaloupe on the counter for several days, the fruit ripens, or softens,.  It doesn't get sweeter, but here is what really happens.  Some of the acids in the fruit begin to dissipate.  As the acid content lowers, the fruit will taste sweeter, fuller, richer.  So, first things first.  Learn to be patient and ripen the melon.  Second, get out the Ice Cream.  I prefer Rainbow Sherbet, but plain Vanilla does the trick as well.  Peel, seed and cube your Cantaloupe into bite size pieces.  Spoon some cubed Cantaloupe into a bowl, then a scoop of Ice Cream and top with another scoop of cubed Cantaloupe.  Count it as a Salad or a Dessert.  Either way, you can't miss here...even if the Cantaloupe comes from another part of the world.
Your Produce Man...Gettin' Fresh