Market Farming

["Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>]

Adriana

I first tried growing them when Vilmorin seed first came to the US. They 
provided seed of several varieties, including 'Savor', an older one. Their 
seedsmen taught me how to pick them, which is different that other 
orange-fleshed melons. I think they are the tastiest of all melons. Growing 
them shouldn't be any more difficult than muskmelons (cantaloupe if you 
prefer). The tricky part comes when they mature. Look at the little branch 
coming from the stem of the fruit. It will have a small leaf at the end of 
it. Before the fruit turns color on the outside, the leaf will fade and 
begin to die back. That is when the fruit is ready. It will not "slip" from 
the stem at that stage. Just cut the stem. If you wait for the fruit to 
change color on the outside or to slip, it will be overripe.

Be aware that there are "charantais" varieties that are not full-blooded 
charantais. They've been crossed with muskmelon and won't have that great 
flavor. Also, if your plants are infected with bacterial wilt or viruses 
they won't have good flavor either.

Bill Shoemaker, Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
University of Illinois - St Charles Horticulture Research Center
www.nres.uiuc.edu/faculty/directory/shoemaker_wh.html

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Adriana" <adriana AT chefsgreens.com>
To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 12:11 PM
Subject: [Market-farming] Charentais melons


> If you've studied the catalogs I'm sure you've heard about the famous 
> French
> Charentais melons.
>
> I grew some a couple of years ago and was not impressed by the taste - the
> aroma was fabulous but the taste was bland and watery.  I wondered what 
> the
> fuss was all about.
>
> Well, let me tell you what the fuss is all about - I just got back from 2
> weeks in Provence and got to taste the real thing, fresh form the local
> farmer's markets. OH, MY GOD!!!!  It was like eating concentrated perfume!
>
> So, what's the trick, has anybody grown them successfully in the US?  I
> suspect Alabama may be too warm for them, but I'm more than willing to
> experiment to see if I can come close to Nirvana.
>
> For those of you who are interested, seeds are available from Cooks at
> http://www.cooksgarden.com/prodinfo.asp?number=665&variation=&aitem=2&mitem=4Adriana
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