Honeydew

The Honeydew melon is muskmelon variety falling under the Honeydew cultivator group. They grow in a hot dry climate and grow on vines along the ground. Honeydew is a pale green member of the melon family. It is low in fat and calories and supplies essential vitamins and minerals, as well as small amounts of protein and fiber. A serving of honeydew is equal to 1 cup, which is all you need to get a dose of nutrition.  They have a smooth, white or yellow skin with pale green to green flesh. They’re about 15-20cm in diameter, and round to oval in shape. Their flesh, contained by the thin, firm skin or rind, is moist, sweet and succulent with seeds in the centre.  They were prized by ancient Egyptians thousands of years ago, and ages before that in Persia, where the muskmelon is thought to have originated.

Honeydews are available year-round, though the peak months are generally July through September. Perfectly ripe honeydews will have an almost indistinguishable wrinkling on the skin's surface, often detectable only by touch. Choose one that's very heavy for its size.  It ranges in weight from 4 to 8 pounds. Under ripe melons can be ripened at room temperature. Wrap ripe melons in a plastic bag and refrigerate up to 5 days. In America it is one of the most commercially successful winter melons.

White skinned honeydews are sweeter – with more natural sugars than watermelon. Yellow skinned honeydew has less sugar so it’s great to have in savoury dishes.  Honeydew melons are a nutritious addition to your diet because they contain several vitamins and minerals. They are a good source of vitamin C and also supply small quantities of other vitamins and minerals, including potassium and they also have dietary fibre. They are also having iron and traces of copper in it.  One cup of cubed honeydew has 388 milligrams of potassium, which is 8 percent of the recommended daily intake.  Potassium is capable of carrying an electric charge that stimulates and regulates muscle contractions and communication between nerves. In this role, potassium maintains a regular heart beat and the tone of blood vessel walls. Vitamin B-6 functions as a coenzyme and it is also present in it.  Vitamin B-6 must be present for the creation of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and sleep. It is also good in copper and copper is good for skin cell regeneration. Copper also helps in repairing our muscles and tissues. So we need this in our diet.

Honeydew has a very mild flavor so it can be mixed with a variety of other fruits and melons itself to have a mixed fruit plate.

You can also enjoy this fruit by making a nice tasty smoothie out of it. You can mix two fruits also in your smoothie. I add honeydew , low fat yogurt and juice, whatever juice I want. Apple is good for me and for one glass of smoothie I juice out one fresh apple. I don't need any sugar and the mild succulent flavor of honeydew with the sweetness of apple juice is so good that I just love it.  

I also make honeydew smoothie with Kiwi fruit because it is an excellent fruit. It is one of the super fruits with high in nutrients and low in calories. It also helps people who are having sleep related problems. With sleep related problems, I mean, Difficulty in sleeping and not difficulty in waking , lol .

I love to mix my honeydew with cucumber because they are also good in water content and low in calories. So, one can make a smoothie and drink a full glass without any tension of taking in too much of calories.

(all pictures are sourced from google)