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How to Ripen Melons After Pulling the Plants
How to Ripen Melons After Pulling the Plants. It is best to allow melons to ripen fully on the vine, but an inexperienced picker may pick a melon too early. A melon picked before peak ripeness will ripen marginally after being removed from the vine. Cantaloupes ripen after being picked, but they do not contain starch reserves to convert to sugar,...
It is best to allow melons to ripen fully on the vine, but an inexperienced picker may pick a melon too early. A melon picked before peak ripeness will ripen marginally after being removed from the vine. Cantaloupes ripen after being picked, but they do not contain starch reserves to convert to sugar, so they will not get sweeter after being picked. Melons with smooth rinds, such as honeydew and cassaba melons, usually are picked before maturity and fully ripened off of the vine.
Things You'll Need
Dish brush
Clean cloth
Brown paper bag
Ripe banana or apple
Plastic wrap
Rinse and scrub the melon with a dish brush under clean running water.
Dry the melon with a clean dry cloth.
Put the melon in a brown paper bag. Brown paper bags are porous, allowing carbon dioxide to exit and oxygen to enter. Enclosing the melon in the bag allows ethylene gas to increase. The melon releases the gas as it ripens.
Put a ripe banana or apple in the bag. This will create more ethylene gas and speed the ripening process.
Loosely close the paper bag and keep it at room temperature.
Check the melon daily for signs of ripening. A ripe melon has a waxy peel and a noticeable aroma, and the blossom-end yields when pressed.
Remove the melon when it appears ripe. Thump the melon to determine if it is fully ripe. If a ringing sound resonates, it needs more time in the bag. If a dull sound is heard, it is ripe.
Store the ripened melon at room temperature until ready to chill and eat. A picked melon will last about two weeks at room temperature. After cutting the melon, wrap the cut pieces tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for two or three days.
