My Favorite Food is Casaba Melon

 

Sometimes my favorite food is beets. Right now, it’s this melon.

I hefted it from the fruit stand at the grocery store. It was weighty, squat, the texture lumpy under my palms.

I like to buy strange produce and try to deal with it when I get it under a knife in my kitchen. (It’s like dating!)

The casaba is the undersung stepbrother of the honeydew or cantaloupe. Some consider it less flavorful than its siblings, but I’d argue the texture is what makes this thing superior. It’s silky insides taste like sweetened cucumber—refreshing on these high-temp afternoons.

Casabas can hang out on your counter for a few days. You can tell they’re ripe when the stem end is a little soft and the skin has a waxy feel. They’re everywhere right now. Get one.