Comments on: Overripe honeydew melon ideas?

Question: Overripe honeydew melon ideas?

adzm — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 04:54:03 -0800

I have a couple two-week old honeydew melons that sat in room temp. They are obviously overripe, sloshing when I shake them, and slightly soft to the touch. Do they go bad, or just lose/change their flavour? Any recipes for some overripe melons?

By: picklebird

picklebird — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 06:41:44 -0800

They go bad, as in they ferment and take on a nasty, vinegary taste. No recipes suggestions, sorry.

By: Mercaptan

Mercaptan — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 07:05:20 -0800

Heh, we had a honeydew lying around that had far far overripened sitting in the kitchen. In retrospect, I think the fruit had actually softened to the point where everything up to the very outside skin had liquified (yes, including the hard part that's usually an inedible rind) and maybe even fermented. My mom, wondering why the fruit looked a little translucent, reached out to pick it up. There was a muted "paf!" as the pulpy contents burst outwards, eliciting a screech from my mom. Then the sickly sweet smell of honeydew goodness was everywhere.

Beware.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 07:59:22 -0800

Ew.

By: briank

briank — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 09:53:14 -0800

IF they're still edible (which is questionable), you would want to do something with them where the texture is not part of the finished product. Maybe you could puree them and make some honeydew sorbet.

By: Sully6

Sully6 — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 10:36:13 -0800

You could make melon pickles. The vinegar/pickling juice would mask any overripe flavor. I can't vouch for their taste but I knew some Southerners growing up who loved 'em.

You may want to keep the phone number for posion control handy, just in case.

By: boo_radley

boo_radley — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 10:48:16 -0800

Melon pickles are damn tasty (watermelon pickles especially).

By: heeeraldo

heeeraldo — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 12:42:07 -0800

now might be a good time to start composting, and if you already have, I'd say give up on eating them and throw the whole melon into the pile.

if you're lucky, you'll have a honeydew vine next summer.

By: adzm

adzm — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 20:31:21 -0800

Two were way way too ripe, and very nasty. However the other tasted alright and the fruit was relatively firm. I mixed it with yogurt and sorbet in a blender, and it worked out great. Thanks for your replies; also several laughs :)