The challenge is to try something new each month in a chosen category & broaden your food horizons. This month's theme is fruit.
Matt & I decided we were going to make a fruit salad last night so it was a perfect opportunity to try a new fruit. There were quite a few things at the market we had never tried but Matt was most attracted to this little creature, the horned melon.
When we checked out the cashier asked us what it tasted like & we had to laugh when we told her we had no idea. And we really didn't have any idea at all what to expect. We thought it would have a melon-like texture inside but were we surprised when we cut it open to discover this...
...a green jelly-like substance. Matt instantly went to the internet & we found out this melon is also called the jelly melon. Oh that explains a lot! One site told us to just suck out the inside & spit out the seeds. So we tried that first. For a bold looking fruit it has a very delicate flavor reminiscent of a cucumber with a touch of lime.
Another site told us to go ahead & eat the seeds. Since they were quite soft (not unlike a cucumber) that's what we did.
We actually liked the flavor & didn't mind the texture at all, so we scooped the remaining fruit into a salad with strawberries & peaches. We dressed the salad with some honey, lime juice & mint.
I really think it came up quite pretty with the green, yellow & red. It tasted wonderful! The horned melon flavor was especially good with the peaches. Would I buy it again? Maybe. It has a nice refreshing flavor & is certainly something different to add to a fruit dish.
Now, its your turn. Pick up a strange new fruit & get in on the Triple Dog Dare!
It certainly is pretty, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteThat fruit salad looks delicious! Perhaps the rest of this nasty little spiker won't get eaten by the parrot after all.
ReplyDeleteThe color's wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI saw this fruit in the grocery store near my place,
Just need to find some time and give it a try!
Wow, I'm beginning to wonder if the kiwano melon I ate so long ago was bad. The interior of the kiwano-melon did not have a jelly-like substance when I cut it, it was almost stiff. I guess it wasn't quite ripe enough because the taste wasn't very good at all... :/ But thanks for the encouragement! I might consider trying one again soon, just making sure it ripens more :)
ReplyDeleteI've TOTALLY been wanting to buy one of these buggers and check it out! I bet this would be awesome in a cold melon soup.
ReplyDeleteheh, we bought one of these a month or two ago just for shits and giggles. we had no idea what to do with it (we refused to consult the interwebs) and ended up straining it and making a spritzer with some club soda, which was actually pretty good.
ReplyDeleteWow, that looks awesome! I would have never guessed the inside looked that way! Wow!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun event! I've seen these at the store before, but they've always been really expensive. The fruit salad looks great!
ReplyDeletei bought one jelly melon yesterday before reading this and cracked it open. we bought it for 2 dollars and it was awesome!! like an alien fruit but u describe it very well. yummy!! im gonna keep buying them.
ReplyDelete