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Post by silverseeds on Jul 18, 2009 12:13:42 GMT -5
I find the most consistent way to tell if a melon is ripe, is if the tiny tendril across from themelon is dried, and ESPECIALLY, when the melons freely pulls away from the vine without much effort. Ive "tapped" hundreds of melons in the field then cracked them open, I never noticed any special sound they made, especially from year to year. Costomers at our fruit stand didnt like to hear that knocking a melon is NOT a good way to tell if its ripe. Once a older couple saw me come out of the field wih two wagons of freshly picked melons. He asked me how to tell which ones are ripe. I said well this whole wagon should be basically ripe. He asked how he could tell for sure, so I told him how we did it on our farm, with the tendrils and how it readily pulls from the vine. He didnt like this answer and was knocking them, he ESPECIALLY didnt like when I told him you dont want the one with the firmest flesh you wan one with some give. So with a crowd of people gathering I picked out the firmest one I could find, nice hollow sound like he was told to look for by who knows who, then one with some give, and smashed them on the ground, and like we do in the field scoped some out of each one, sure enough the full flavored one was the one Ipcked, not that the other was bad mind you. he still didnt belive me. Luckily the owner of the farm (r.i.p. friend- he died from cancer from the SPRAYS) showed up and verified what I had said, somehow this goes against peoples sensibilities......I think martha steward must have sid to knock on the melons or something, not sure where it started, but for the types of musk melons we grew anyway, and watermelons actually, that never seemed to be a indicator of anything.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jul 18, 2009 17:43:37 GMT -5
Whoa... now that IS an idea! Melon rum or maybe a melon Bearnaise? Oooo melon hollandaise! I could use some pointers on cooking venison. I detest it when it's gamy, but we learned the hard way our first year here that we take the carcass straight to a meat processor, give him $55 and tell him what we want back.
I really would love to do a roast and serve it with a compound bleu cheese butter with fresh chives. umm... Sausages... I adore sausages. They have 3 kinds of sausage here, bulk, link, and air dried link. ::sigh:: Back home I have a friend of German decent who learned butchery from his father. The walls of their shop are lined with awards for their smoked meats and sausages. Dittmer's is the name of the shop. In Mountain View, California. Truly a haven for meat lovers! And their hams and bacon .... oh don't let me go there...
um, weren't we talking about melons?
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Post by castanea on Jul 18, 2009 18:58:13 GMT -5
I find the most consistent way to tell if a melon is ripe, is if the tiny tendril across from themelon is dried, and ESPECIALLY, when the melons freely pulls away from the vine without much effort. Ive "tapped" hundreds of melons in the field then cracked them open, I never noticed any special sound they made, especially from year to year. Costomers at our fruit stand didnt like to hear that knocking a melon is NOT a good way to tell if its ripe. Once a older couple saw me come out of the field wih two wagons of freshly picked melons. He asked me how to tell which ones are ripe. I said well this whole wagon should be basically ripe. He asked how he could tell for sure, so I told him how we did it on our farm, with the tendrils and how it readily pulls from the vine. He didnt like this answer and was knocking them, he ESPECIALLY didnt like when I told him you dont want the one with the firmest flesh you wan one with some give. So with a crowd of people gathering I picked out the firmest one I could find, nice hollow sound like he was told to look for by who knows who, then one with some give, and smashed them on the ground, and like we do in the field scoped some out of each one, sure enough the full flavored one was the one Ipcked, not that the other was bad mind you. he still didnt belive me. Luckily the owner of the farm (r.i.p. friend- he died from cancer from the SPRAYS) showed up and verified what I had said, somehow this goes against peoples sensibilities......I think martha steward must have sid to knock on the melons or something, not sure where it started, but for the types of musk melons we grew anyway, and watermelons actually, that never seemed to be a indicator of anything. Thank you! I am so tired of people spreading that BS about thumping melons and listening to the sound. I have no doubt that if someone has grown the same variety for years and knows that variety really well that maybe they can tell when it's right by thumping, but for everyone else, it's a waste of time. Same for watermelons.
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Post by grungy on Jul 18, 2009 20:00:55 GMT -5
There also should be a little give at both ends of the melon should you buy one at a fruit stand.
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Post by grungy on Jul 18, 2009 20:03:04 GMT -5
Jo, try cooking you venison with tomato juice poured over the top and adding onions quartered all over and around it. use the juice to baste every half hour or so.
Sorry to kidnap this thread for a minute.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jul 18, 2009 21:08:09 GMT -5
mmmm.... kidnap meeeeeee .....
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Post by fulenn on Jul 21, 2009 12:20:02 GMT -5
You can kidnap this thread ANYTIME YOU WANT TO for that kind of stuff. lol ;D
The Tip Top Melon was ready a few days ago and we have already eaten it. It was very nice. Okay, I'll be honest, I would have loved ANY melon, even if it tasted like cardboard, just because I managed to grow the darned thing!!
Both melons had a very nice flavor, sweet but could have been sweeter to be a truly great melon, IMO. They were rich tasting and seemed to have more depth than the cantalopes that we are used to eating. Overall, I think that they were very very good, but not outstanding. They will both have a place in my garden next year if I can find room to separate them from several new ones that I am going to try.
At the same time, consider that I have never grown melons before and harvested all three a day or two early. I have one Tip Top left in the garden and we are going to try to put a cage around it and let it ripen up to the last moment. Wish me lots of luck--there are a lot of hungry and thirsty animals/birds right now and protecting it may be next to impossible.
Fulenn
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Post by grungy on Jul 21, 2009 13:07:14 GMT -5
Are you saving the TT seeds?
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Post by fulenn on Jul 21, 2009 13:39:50 GMT -5
Are you saving the TT seeds? I am. I put the first cleaned batch from the first melon onto a coffee filter to dry about 2 hours ago. Did you want some? Fulenn
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Post by grungy on Jul 21, 2009 14:35:12 GMT -5
Pretty please. And thank you.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Jul 21, 2009 18:09:50 GMT -5
Sourdough Magic Pancakes
This recipe makes 7 or 8 10” pancakes. It’s enough for my family of 4 with a couple leftover for “pinching” later in the morning.
2 t. baking powder 1 t. salt 1 t. baking soda
Blend in small dish and set aside.
In a large bowl mix: (NOTE: I use an 8 c. glass measure so the kids can watch the “magic”. They really love it!)
3 c. starter 3 eggs (room temperature) 3 T. syrup (I like maple syrup but you can use Karo, honey, or whatever you like) 3 T. vegetable oil
Use a wire whisk to blend until smooth and well blended. Now for the magic! While whisking with all your might (I pant to make a good show for the boys ;o) have a kid pour in the powdered mixture. KEEP WHISKING LIKE CRAZY! Suddenly the mixture will billow up and fill the bowl! (Feed the starter a couple times before making the pancakes for the best show.) Ladle a scant cup into a hot, greased skillet and cook like any other pancake. These cakes are outrageous wrapped around a good country sausage link.
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Post by fulenn on Jul 26, 2009 22:18:08 GMT -5
Thanks for the recipe, Jo!
We ate the last Tip Top melon yesterday. This time we waited to pick it until you could smell it as soon as you walked around the corner of the house. Mmmm....... It had all of the richness and depth of flavor that it had last time, but this time it was sweet, really sweet! Definitely a grower. Naturally, the seeds are in the kitchen.
Fulenn
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Post by grungy on Jul 26, 2009 23:57:21 GMT -5
Hey girls, I only ate supper a couple of hours ago, and you two are as bad as Michel, for making me hungry. Sounds delicious.
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Post by fulenn on Jul 31, 2009 18:16:08 GMT -5
Oh oh oh!!! I just counted in my melon patch and found 5 more melons! That's pretty good since I only looked on the perimeter and not the center. Whooo hooo!
Fulenn
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Post by fulenn on Dec 25, 2009 17:59:21 GMT -5
Hi Grungy and Merry Xmas!
I have a packet of seeds from the Old Time Tennessee Muskmelon AND one from Tip Top Melon. I don't know what I have done with your address, but if you will pretty please PM it to me, I will send you your seeds.
Fulenn
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