I don't have anything that is completely reliable without any work but my Honey Jar jujube comes close. Its a wonderful tasting fruit which needs no sprays. The only downside is is doesn't pollinate well every year, and the ants go after them (easily solved with tangletrap). These grow in any part of the US with a long hot summer. The blueberries and currant/goose are probably next in line, all they need is netting at harvest. Raspberry and blackberry beds need renewing so they are a bit more work due to that. The only "regular" fruit that might make it in is Tomcot apricot which is early enough that it doesn't get much insect pressure and so I don't have to be so vigilant about spraying. I don't have a reliable and great persimmon, my favorites are Hachiya and Chocolate but I have not gotten consistent crops. Chocolate was doing well for several years but last year it didn't get pollinated, I think the tree that was pollinating it nearly died. Once I get a decent pollinator for Chocolate I think it will be right at the top of this list. Hachiya is not reliably hardy so it doesn't fruit every year. It will probably die to the ground one of these years but I've kept it going for eight years and I'm looking at a real nice crop this year. Scott

I think you would get a better response on the fruit forum but here is my 2 cents: ---APPLES--- While you can fruit just about any apple irregardless of how many chill hours is claimed it needs, you must consider that some apples will turn to mush in a hot summer area (some apples need a cool summer to taste their best) ditto for blazing Indian summers (fall). I have not heard anything about Honeycrisp being an option in warmer areas but it could be that no one has experimented with it yet. Fuji, Golden Delicious, White Winter Pearmain, Anna, Dorsett Golden, Newtown Pippin have been tried and proved excellent (I live in a hot inland valley). There are some excellent books on apples, Apples for the 21st Century is one, there is a good eBook on growing apples in Riverside (applenut is on this forum) I think the website is Kuffelcreek.com. Honeycrisp aug Winter hardy tree from the University of Minnesota. Fruit is crisp and juicy with an aromatic flavor. Striped red over yellow color. Stores well. Ripens from late September to late October. Patent # 7197 Ashmead's Kernel sept Widely regarded as one of the all-time best-flavored apples. Small to medium-sized fruit; variable shape, often lop-sided. Greenish to golden brown russet skin with reddish highlights. Creamy yellow flesh is aromatic, crisp and sweet. Fruit picked early is somewhat sharp and acidic, but mellows after a few weeks off the tree. Ripens after Red Delicious, about with Golden Delicious. Keeps 3-4 months. Used for dessert, cider and sauce. Resistant to powdery mildew, somewhat resistant to apple scab. Winter hardy tree, begins bearing at young age. From England, discovered in the early 1700s. Estimated chilling requirement 800-1000 hours. Partly self-fruitful, biggest crops with cross-pollination. Yellow Newton Pippin oct Yellow-green, late, firm, crisp, slightly tart, superb flavor. For peak flavor and acid/sugar balance, wait to harvest til cheeks are yellowish-green (late Oct./ early Nov. in Central Calif.). Good keeper. Famous for cooking, excellent fresh or dried. Vigorous tree. 700 hours. Self-fruitful. ---APRICOTS--- What? no Blenheim? It's one of the best! Too fragile for shipping so you HAVE to grow your own. It's held in very high esteem by David Karp (along with Green Gage plums). If you get 600 chill hours I would definitely check out Harcot - while I have neither grown or tasted it I've only read excellent reports. Flavor Delight is delicious, I do grow that one. Flora Gold EARLY JUNE All-purpose freestone. Early harvest, 2-3 weeks before Blenheim (Royal). Very good quality, reliable producer (produces when other vareties don't). Good choice for backyard apricot. 500 hours. Self-fruitful. (Zaiger) Flavor Delight Aprium® interspecific JUN 5 Resembles an apricot but with a distinctive flavor and texture all its own. Pleasant, lingering after taste. Early June. 600 hours. Bigger crops if pollinated by any apricot. Pat.No. 7090 (Zaiger) Autumn Glo AUG Late season apricot with tremendous flavor. Ripens in the first two weeks of August. Fruit is medium sized with good color. One of the highest-scoring apricot varieties at Dave Wilson Nursery fruit tastings. ---PLUOTS--- Dapple Dandy is a very, very good pluot, bears well, looks beautiful, tastes better than just about any plum. Flavor Supreme Pluot® interspecific JUN 15 Taste test winner. Plum-apricot hybrid with sweet, richly flavored, firm red flesh. Greenish-maroon mottled skin. June harvest in Central California, about two weeks before Santa Rosa. 5-600 hours. Pollinated by Santa Rosa, Late Santa Rosa, or other Pluot®. Pat. No. 6763. (Zaiger) Flavor Grenade Pluot® interspecific SEP 1 Elongated green fruit with a red blush. Crisp texture and explosive flavor.. Taste-test winner. Hangs on the tree for 4 to 6 weeks. Pollenate with a Japanese plum. Estimated chill requirement: 500 to 600 hours. Patent No. 12097. (Zaiger) ---PLUMS--- I grow Weeping Santa Rosa - beautiful small tree (cut off any upright branches) delicious fruit, better than regular Santa Rosa. Laroda is supposed to be good one too. And Elephant Heart. You can always graft some other cultivars onto whatever you plant for variety (like some yellow plums). Beauty JUN 15 Sweet, flavorful plum, more widely adapted than Santa Rosa (more productive in coastal climates). Red overyellow skin, amber flesh streaked red. Ripens June in Central Calif. 250 hours. Self-fruitful. Weeping Santa Rosa Semi-Dwarf JUL 1 One of the most flavorful, aromatic Japanese plums when fully ripe. Beautiful 8-10 ft. tree, weeping growth habit - long slender limbs bow gracefully to the ground. Easily espaliered. 400 hours. Self-fruitful. Laroda AUG 5 Dark purple fruit similar to Santa Rosa, but larger and 5-6 weeks later. Excellent flavor, juicy, one of the best. Prolonged harvest: mid-July to mid-August. 400 hours. Pollenizer required: Santa Rosa, Catalina, or Nubiana. Emerald Beaut SEP 1 One of the highest-rated plums in blind fruit tastings at Dave Wilson Nursery. Light green skin, greenish-yellow to orange freestone flesh. Harvest begins late August in Central Calif. Ripe fruit continues to sweeten, becoming exceptionally sweet, but remaining crisp and crunchy. Ripe fruit holds on tree longer than any other stone fruit - two months or more! 6-700 hours. Pollenizer required: Beauty, Burgundy, Late Santa Rosa, Nubiana, Flavor King Pluot®. Pat. No. 9162. (Zaiger) Elephant Heart (NOT taste WINNER) SEP 1 Home-orchard favorite-large, heart-shaped fruit with sweet, juicy, richly flavored, firm red flesh. Dark reddish-purple mottled skin. Long harvest season-September in Central Calif. Hardy, heavy bearing. 500 hours. Pollinate with Beauty or Santa Rosa. ---CHERRIES--- I WISH I could grow Craig's Crimson! Whatever you grown, keep it small and throw bird-netting over it or you'll be lucky to get even one cherry. Craig's Crimson MAY Self-fruitful, natural semi-dwarf, perhaps the finest sweet cherry: dark red to nearly black, medium to large size, wonderful spicy flavor, very firm texture. Mature tree size about 2/3 of standard (smaller when budded onto Colt or Mahaleb rootstock). Mid-season. 800 hours. Pat. No. 7320.(Zaiger) Royal Rainier MAY 15 Large yellow cherry with slightly more red blush than Rainier. Excellent flavor, taste test winner. Ripens early, about 3 to 5 days ahead of Rainier. Estimated chill requirement: 600 - 700 hours. Van JUN 5 Very cold hardy, reliable, heavy bearing. Fine fruit similar to Bing, though usually smaller. Pollenizer required-interfruitful with all popular sweet cherries. 700 hours. ---FIGS--- I grow Violette de Bordeaux - my favorite, deep red, complex flavor. Janice Seedless doesn't compare it's just sweet, but good. I also grow Panache which is also delicious but I understand it doesn't grow well (taste good) everywhere. It seems to need a long hot season. Mission is a classic but it's a HUGE tree, I can't imagine planting that with two others in a hole. Janice Seed-Less Kadota AUG 10 New "white" fig. Large, sweet, delicious, light greenish-yellow fruit with practically no seeds. Prolonged harvest, August through November at Fremont, California. Suited to coastal and inland climates. Prune to any shape. 100 hours. Self-fruitful. Patent Pending. Celestial AUG 10 Purplish-brown skin, pink flesh. Widely adapted. Two crops per year - early summer and late summer to early fall. Prune to any shape. 100 hours. Self-fruitful. Black Mission AUG 10 The favorite. Purplish-black skin, strawberry- colored flesh, rich flavor. Heavy bearing, long-lived, large tree. Coast or inland. Fresh/dry/can. 100 hours. Self-fruitful. ---PEACHES & WHITE PEACHES--- So many excellent peaches to choose from...have a look at Bay Laurel Nursery catalog. Baby Crawford would definitely be on my list. Sugar May JUN 10 White-fleshed, sweetest peach of its season - mid-June, about one month before Babcock. Very juicy and sweet with fine flavor. High fruit-tasting scores. Excellent choice for early season peach. Medium to large size with attractive red skin. Estimated chilling requirement 600 - 700 hours. Self-fruitful. Pat.No. 8034 (Zaiger) Veteran JUL 10 One of the most reliable peaches for cold climates: winter hardy and late-blooming. Yellow to yellow-orange skin. Yellow flesh is freestone when fully ripe, and richly flavored. Harvest one week before Elberta. 900 hours. Self-fruitful. Loring JUL 20 Taste test winner. Superb large yellow freestone. Excellent flavor and texture, low acid. Harvests over 2-3 week period, mid to late July in central CA. Requires little or no thinning. Excellent for home orchard. 750 hours. Self-fruitful. Indian Free AUG 20 Taste test winner: one of the all-time highest-rated fruits at Dave Wilson Nursery fruit tastings. Large, firm freestone with crimson and cream-colored flesh. Tart until fully ripe, then highly aromatic with a rich, distinctive flavor. Highly resistant tto peach leaf curl. Late season. 700 hours. Another nectarine needed to pollinate. ---NECTARINES & WHITE NECTARINES--- I grow Arctic Star and so far I'm not thrilled. The flavor has been watery but could be culture (although I know not to water too much if at all when the fruit is ripening). I'd love to grow Liz's Late. I chose Heavenly White for a family member in Central Calif. and I've heard excellent reports of Independence. Arctic Star JUN 10 Early-season, super sweet, white fleshed nectarine. Low in acid, no tartness. Rave reviews in trial tastings. Semi-freestone with beautiful dark red skin. Harvest approximately June 10th to 30th at Hickman, Calif. Self-fruitful. Pat. No. 9332. (Zaiger) Flavortop JUL 15 Firm, yellow freestone with excellent quality. One of the highest scoring nectarines varieties in DWN fruit tastings. One of the very best! Ripens in mid-July in Central California, between Independence and Fantasia.Susceptible to bacterial spot and tender to winter cold. Large showy blossoms. 650 hours. Self-fruitful. Liz's Late Nectarine AUG 25 Sprightly-sweet, intense, spicy flavor - the State of the Art in fruit breeding. Overall score of 7.5 at the August 25, 1995 Dave Wilson Nursery fruit tasting - one of the highest scores for any yellow nectarine or peach to date. Late August to early September in Central California. 600-700 hours. Self-fruitful. Pat.No. 9437. (Zaiger) NO TASTE TESTS DATA....but still on my list..... ---PERSIMMON --- I did alot of research on Persimmons - I grow four in a hole, Chocolate (male blossoms to pollinate the "cinnamon" persimmons), Hiyakume (I chose this over Coffeecake because all reports were mediocre for Coffeecake), Suruga and Maru. I haven't tasted Chocolate yet (only a couple fruit but the squirrels have tasted it) the others are excellent. Don't miss out on Saijo - it's supposed to be like caramel, the name means "the best one." Bay Laurel has it. I'm not a fan of crisp persimmons, I grew up with Hachiya which is a fine cultivar too. Soft Chocolate Small to medium size, oblong, bright red skin. Sweet, spicy, firm, brown flesh, superb flavor-the choice of connoisseurs. Astringent until ripe. 200 hours. Self-fruitful. Firm Fuyu - Jiro ("Apple Persimmon") Medium size, flat shape, still hard when ripe, non-astringent. Cool or hot climate. Hardy, attractive tree, practically pest free. Fall harvest. 200 hours. Self-fruitful. Firm Coffeecake (Nishimura Wase) Anxious Fuyu lovers, who await the fall harvest with great anticipation can now experience an expanded season of delectable persimmon flavors. CoffeeCake persimmon, pollinated by Fuyu Imoto and ripening a month earlier, has a unique spicy-sweet flavor that instantly brings to mind images of cinnamon pastry, hot coffee and morning sunshine. If you are considering a Fuyu...plant it together with CoffeeCake for the perfect persimmon experience. CoffeeCake's spicy complexity contrasts with the delicate, sweet, flavor of Fuyu. Both varieties are flat-shaped, non-astringent, and eaten while still firm. Consider this: Romeo and Juliet, Laurel and Hardy, Mark and Sammy, sugar and spice, peaches and cream, CoffeeCake and Fuyu! Tamopan Large, flat-shaped fruit with thick, reddish-orange skin and light orange flesh. Flesh is astringent until soft-ripe. Vigorous, heavy-bearing tree. 200 hours. Self-fruitful. ---POMEGRANITE--- I personally wouldn't bother with Wonderful, it's just too ubiquitous. There are so many other "wonderful" pomegranates to try, do a search on GardenWeb, JoeReal has tried them all (or nearly) and has compared them. Wonderful Large, purple-red fruit with delicious, tangy flavor. Best quality in hot inland climate. Gaudy red-orange bloom, ornamental foliage. Long-lived, any soil. 150 hours. Self-fruitful. Eversweet Very sweet, virtually seedless fruit. (Even immature fruits are sweet.) Red skin, clear (non-staining) juice. Harvest late summer through fall. Coast or inland. 8-10 ft. arching shrub, or train as tree or espalier. Large, showy, orange-red flowers. 150 hours. Self-fruitful. Pat. No. 5418 Kashmir Blend Medium size pomegranate with light pink-red exterior. Ruby red seeds have intense flavor with no overbearing acidic taste. Plant has a slightly spreading growth habit and can also be grown as a tree. Keep any height with summer pruning. Excellent source of antioxidants- eat fresh or use in cooking. Requires 150-200 chill hours. Self fruitful. ---Paw Paw--- Maybe you'll have better luck but on CRFG garden tours the hosts usually point abjectly in the direction of the pawpaws and just say it's over there. Not much luck getting these to fruit in the Mediterranean climate. I hope this helps. Grafting is fun and easy to learn and do. JoeReal has a tutorial video on that too. Rebecca's Gold PawPaw From California. Large, late season fruit. Paw paws are slow-growing, deciduous, pyramidal-shaped trees with large, tropical-looking leaves. Fruit has custard-like texture and delicious, banana-like flavor. Harvest just as skin turns greenish-yellow and fruit begins to soften - in about October. ---lucia in west coco county ios_lrh@yahoo.com

This is a difficult thing for the home gardener to determine no matter what melon it is. Even specific types will vary depending on what variety it is. The best way to determine maturity of an entire field is to randomly select melons from across the field and use a hand refractometer to measure the sweetness of the melon. Soluble sugars should be 10% or more near the center of the melon. Since most home gardeners probably aren't going to go so far as to aquire that equipment, here are some tips: All "melons" are Cucurbits (Cucurbitaceae). The cucurbit family includes species such as the gourd, watermelons, cantaloupes, squash and pumpkins. Melons like cucumbers require ample moisture for the growth and fruit setting. During the fruiting ripening stage, however, too much water will diminish the flavor of the melons. 1. When harvesting, make sure that the melon is cut from the vine instead of pulled. Pulling creates a cracking wound that pathogens can enter and quickly destroy the quality of the fruit, not to mention ruining the appearance of the fruit. Leave the stems on the melon for as long as possible, and treat for stem end rot after picking. 2. Don't harvest your melons until they are fully ripe. Melons will get softer after they are picked from the vine but they will never get sweeter. 3. Most people tap on the fruit and listen for a dull thump. If you grow many of them, this is an art form. Muskmelons: Varieties with netted skin such as the muskmelon and Galia types are easy to tell when they are ripe because the fruit pulls off easily or "slips" from the vine. They should be harvested at full "slip" when the ground color under the net starts to turn yellowish. Eating maturity follows in 1 to 3 days and best flavor is obtained if melons are held near 70 degrees F. for this final ripening. If muskmelons are to be held longer, 50 degrees to 55 degrees F. is best. Varieties with smooth, harder skins such as honeydews or casabas do not slip and must be cut from the vine. The skins of these varieties actually feel hairy when the fruit is not ripe. As the fruit matures, the skins become smooth and slippery and some varieties change color. When the fruit is fully ripe, the skins change again to have a waxy feel. In addition, the blossom end should have a ripe, fruity smell. Smell the fruit. Both cantaloupes and honeydew have a strong sweet smell, which is especially evident when the melon is at room temperature. Listen: Honeydew will rattle from loose seeds when ripe. Cantaloupes are unreliable rattlers and this doesn't work on them. Thump it. Knock on it as if it were a door a couple of times or slap it. A deep and thick dense sound is good a hollow sound can mean insufficient moisture. If ripe, it will resonate with a hollow thump. Watermelons: It is extremely difficult to tell if a watermelon is ripe by just looking; it must be examined. Watermelons will not continue to ripen after harvest. Hold the harvested fruits at 50 degrees to 60 degrees F. Here are indications you can look for: 1. Thump it. If the watermelon sounds hollow (if you hear a dull thump/thud), the melon is usually ripe. This is difficult for less-gifted ears. The unripe melon will have a tighter, metallic ringing or hollow sound. This technique is not perfect however, because the dull sound you hear doesn't indicate if the melon is overripe. 2. Use the criteria of approximate size for variety, 3. Ceasing of growth. 4. Look at the color on the top. The watermelon is ripe when there is little contrast between the stripes. Another indication is when the surface color of the fruit turns dull. 5. Look for the spot where the melon rested on the ground; a yellow-white, yellow or a cream-yellow color spot suggests ripeness and a white or pale green spot indicates immaturity. A green watermelon will have a white bottom; a ripe melon will have a cream- or yellow-colored bottom. Those fruit that show a change of color from green or olive-grey to yellowish brown should be considered ready to harvest. Also look for a breakup of green bands at the blossom end of the fruit. For best quality, walk the patch daily. 6. The rind at the soil spot should toughen and resist denting with a fingernail when the melon is ripe. Scratch the surface of the rind with your thumbnail. If the outer layer slips back with little resistance, showing a green-white color under the rind, the watermelon is ripe. Feel for development of ribbed indentations that can be felt with finger tips. It should be firm but not a rock. If soft or soft spots it's too far gone. Sponginess is bad. 7. Press on it. If the watermelon sounds like it gives a little, it's ripe. (This method can also ruin the quality of the fruit.) 8. Check the tendril. If the tendril is green, you should wait to pick the melon. Harvest when the curled tendril near the stem, the "pigtail" or tendril closest to the melon on the vine begins to shrivel and dry up. If it dries while the leaves and rest of the vine looks good, the melon should be ripe. 9. Harvest when a small crack appears in the stem just above the melon indicating the melon is ripe. If it's half-dead, it could mean that the watermelon is nearly ripe or ripe. If the tendril is fully dead, it could mean that anthracnose or some other fungus killed the melon, or that it's ripe or overripe. The drying of the stem tendril nearest the attachment point and green color tone are also indicators of ripeness. Sign vary with cultivars. 10. Count the number of days from anthesis (flowering) or the number of days from planting. This works pretty well if you know the variety of watermelon and how many days it's supposed to take for that variety to ripen under normal temperature and fertilizer regimes. 11. The slipping of the stem from the melon with slight finger pressure is an excellent indicator of melon ripeness in the field. Hold a melon up to your ear, if you can feel it squeeze and hear a slight mush instead of a crack it is ripe. 7 Check the size. It's not necessarily true that when a watermelon is big enough, it's ready; but under good conditions, it should be normal size. If it's not, you're probably too anxious. 8 Crack a few. You've got a whole field of watermelons, and you can practice a little, right? 9 Is the vine dead or dying? Well, the watermelon is not going to get any riper, so you might as well pick it 10. Rely on your nose, and look for a melon with the strongest fragrance, for this will most likely be the best tasting. Breath deeply and follow your nose to the sweet ripe melon. Sniff the aromatic one out. Next, look for a melon that is heavy for its size, because if you have two melons of equal size, the heavier one is almost assuredly the riper and better tasting melon. Smell is something you learn with experience. 11. Still confused? Guess. All indicators will not always work. Take your best shot and go with it. Specific Melons: Ambrosia Melon - This netted muskmelon is very similar to the American cantaloupe. The flesh is a deep orange and has a more intense flavor. The scent of the melon, when ripe, is very strong and appealing. American Cantaloupe - The melons commonly called cantaloupe in the States are actually not technically cantaloupes, although they are a very similar member of the muskmelon family. True cantaloupes are natives of Italy and are only found in Europe. The skin of the American cantaloupe is beige with a grey toned netting flesh is very sweet and pale orange. Ripe "cantaloupes" should be heavy for their size, be very fragrant, and be slightly soft at the blossom end. The skin should be uniform with no soft spots or bruises and the netting should be fairly well defined. "Cantaloupes" really absorb flavors from other foods and should not be stored in close contact with strong smelling foods for any length of time. When most recipes call for cantaloupe this is the melon they are referring to and they are really interchangeable with the "true" cantaloupe in recipes. Butterscotch Melons - These buttery rich melons are becoming increasing popular at local farmers markets and specialty grocery stores around the country. These small melons have a pale green skin and a two-toned green and orange flesh. The green flesh nearest the rind is edible, and very sweet. Many people think the flesh tastes like butterscotch candy, which is where the name comes from. Ripe melons are paler in color with a sweet sugary aroma. Cantaloupe - Although similar to what most Americans call cantaloupes, true cantaloupes are only found in Europe and are not exported. The skin is beige with a grey toned netting flesh is very sweet and pale orange. Ripe cantaloupes should be heavy for their size, be very fragrant, and be slightly soft at the blossom end. The skin should be uniform with no soft spots or bruises and the netting should be fairly well defined. Cantaloupes are unripe when the skin beneath the textured 'web' is green and ripe when orange or golden. Casaba Melon - The casaba melon is a large melon with a thick-ridged yellow skin. The flesh is wonderfully mild and juicy in flavor, and has a very creamy vanilla-orange color. They are usually available in the mid to late fall. The easiest way to choose a ripe casaba is to look for a slightly soft blossom end. Leave the casaba melon on the vine until the blossom end softens and rind turns yellow. Harvest when the skin is slightly golden and the flesh is white. Charentais Melons - Charentais melons, also called French or French Breakfast Melons are considered by many to be the most divine and flavorful melons in the world. Increasingly popular and quite expensive, they are showing up in markets all over the States. The skin is a grayish yellow-green color and the flesh is very sweet and pale orange. The melons are typically the size of large grapefruits and weight about two pounds. When ripe, Charentais have a wonderfully complex and full bodied aroma with flowery overtones. The skin also loses the grey cast to the skin for a warmer yellow color. Cranshaw Melon - The cranshaw, or crenshaw melon as it is sometimes spelled, is a very popular and flavorful melon well known for its wonderful aroma and flavor. Available from mid-summer to mid-fall, cranshaws are large oval shaped melons with a yellow-green ridged skin. The flesh is a vibrant orange-pink that has a seductive flavor and scent. Ripe cranshaws are easy to pick out as they are perhaps the most fragrant of melons when they are ripe. Harvest when the blossom end begins to soften and the skin is golden yellow and green. It is ripe when the dark-green skin develops yellow streaks.The flesh should be a golden pink. Emerald Jewel - These "gift melons" imported from Japan are the latest trend in flavorful attractive melons. They are typically 3-4 pounds in size and have a netted brown and green skin. The flesh is a bright white and very sweet and juicy. Emerald Pearl - Another "gift melon" imported from Japan, these melons are my personal favorite. They are typically 3-4 pounds in size and have a netted green skin. The flesh is very sweet and green with a delightful crispness that almost borders on crunchy. Galia Melons - These delightful honeydew melons are oftentimes labeled as Mediterranean, Passport, Israeli, or Middle Eastern melons are actually a group of melons that are very similar. They all have a golden-green netted exterior and pale green flesh. They have a wonderful aroma and sweet and juicy flavor. Generally Galia melons are riper when they have a lighter, yellow skin and a very strong sweet aroma. Honeydew Melon - One of the most popular varieties of melon, the honeydew melon is available all year round in most markets, although they are at their peak ripeness in the late summer. The melons are large, round, and should be heavy for their size. Honeydews have an exceptionally smooth pale yellow-green skin and succulent pale green flesh. A beige honeydew with distinct green veins reveals immaturity. The best way to tell when honeydew melons are perfectly ripe is to feel the melons. Ripe melons have some very fine veining that you can only detect by touch. The melon should not be soft or scarred in any areas and should be somewhat fragrant. Harvest when the blossom end softens and the stem end is slightly springy and the skin begins to take on a creamy yellow/cream appearance. Pale yellow with bright lemon-colored areas suggests it matured on the vine. Juan Canary Melons: Juan Canary or canary melons are widely available across the United States during the summer months in major grocery stores. The bright yellow football shaped melons are very distinctive and the cream colored flesh is widely used in salads and desserts. Ripe melons should be very firm, heavy for their size, and slightly fragrant. Muskmelons: Harvest when firm, well netted, well formed and at 'full slip'. Full slip is when the melon separates from the stem with a slight pressure from the finger. Another indicator of ripening is the skin taking on a slightly yellow appearance under the netting. Orange-Flesh Honeydew Melon - Growing increasingly popular, the orange-fleshed honeydew (also marketed as the Temptation Melon) is like a cantaloupe with the size and shape of a honeydew. The melons are large, round, and should be heavy for their size. They have an exceptionally smooth white skin and succulent orange flesh that is very similar to cantaloupe, with a bit more delicate honeydew-like flavor. The best way to tell when orange-flesh honeydew melons are perfectly ripe is to look at the skin. Ripe orange-flesh melons turn a pale orange shade when ripe. Persian Melon - This netted skinned muskmelon has a beautiful green skin and pinky orange flesh. They are very sweet and are slightly larger than the American Cantaloupe. Ripe Persian melons are noticeably heavier than their unripe counterparts and store very well in the refrigerator for up to a week until you are ready to use them. Harvest when the skin begins to turn a mauve color under the net, the blossom ends begins to soften and the flesh has a tinge of orange. Santa Claus Melon - Also called Christmas melon or December melon, the Santa Claus melon is a very popular melon during the winter when it comes into season. The convenient timing for Christmas, the bright green and yellow skin, and the long-lasting qualities of the melon are all attributed as being the reasons for its unique name. Whatever the reason for the name, the Santa Claus melon is very flavorful and is great for salads and other dishes. Many varieties are quite large, and even though they look like small watermelons on the outside, on the inside they are almost exactly like honeydew melons. The ripest Santa Claus melons have soft blossom ends and a distinct yellow tinge to the skin. Sharlyn Melon - Sharlyn (also spelled Sharlin or Sharilyn) melons are becoming more and more common in grocery stores because of their wonderful flavor and pretty orange-white flesh. The flavor is delicate and tastes like a combination of honeydew and cantaloupe. Sharlyn melons ripen very quickly and do not store well at all. Ripe melons have an orange tone to their flesh underneath the tan colored netting, while unripe melons are greener in tone. Sprite Melons - These North Carolina specialties are finally being distributed all across the country. These diminutive melons are about the size of softballs and frequently weight less than a pound. They have a very firm and crisp apple-like flesh and the flavor is something like a mixture between pear, apple, and honeydew and is very sweet. Ripe melons have a mottled yellow skin, while unripe melons are a pale cream color. Tokyo King - These "gift melons" imported from Japan are the latest trend in flavorful attractive melons. They are typically 3-4 pounds in size and have a netted green skin. The flesh is a bright white and very sweet and juicy. They are the classic slightly oval sweet melons that are very popular in Japan and the West Coast.

Nice dog Bob! I’ll keep you guys updated. I put out two snap traps in boxes this afternoon. I checked one a bit ago and the annoying critters had taken some of the peanut butter off one...no snap though! That’s ok...there was a little left and they’ll have to work harder to get it...I hope to have something tomorrow. Just now I was out one last time taking my dogs to pee when Enzo (the big fluffy one) starts sprinting across the yard. Next thing I know there is a large animal (raccoon??? Fox??) zipping past me with Lila (the Aussie) in hot pursuit. I screamed and ended up on the patio table! Lol. I hope my neighbors did not see that show!