Overripe honeydew melon ideas?

September 20, 2005 4:54 AM

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?
posted by adzm to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

They go bad, as in they ferment and take on a nasty, vinegary taste. No recipes suggestions, sorry.
posted by picklebird at 6:41 AM on September 20, 2005

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.
posted by Mercaptan at 7:05 AM on September 20, 2005

Ew.
posted by GuyZero at 7:59 AM on September 20, 2005

Best answer: 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.
posted by briank at 9:53 AM on September 20, 2005

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.
posted by Sully6 at 10:36 AM on September 20, 2005

Melon pickles are damn tasty (watermelon pickles especially).
posted by boo_radley at 10:48 AM on September 20, 2005

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.
posted by heeeraldo at 12:42 PM on September 20, 2005

Response by poster: 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 :)
posted by adzm at 8:31 PM on September 20, 2005