Flat, tasteless melons can be due to a lack of magnesium or boron in the soil. It has been found that such fruits can be sweetened by giving them a dose of Epsom salts and borax. For home garden use, use about 6 1/2 tablespoons of Epsom salts and 3 1/2 tablespoons of household borax, all added to five gallons of water.
What do I do if my cantaloupe isn’t sweet?
He’d rub some salt across his slice of melon with his forefinger. Initially, I was doubtful, but after trying it out, I saw that he was onto something. The salt brings out what little flavor a bad melon has and compensates for any lack of sweetness. It works, truly—trust me.
Why is my home grown cantaloupe not sweet?
Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo) flavor depends upon environmental conditions. High rainfall or excessive irrigation as the cantaloupes near maturity will adversely affect fruit flavor. Also, diseases which reduce the vigor of the plant and the leaves’ ability to produce sugar will affect fruit flavor.
How do you make cantaloupe sweeter when growing?
7. Learn how to grow cantaloupe that is sweet and full of flavor. Don’t overwater while fruit is growing. Too much water (or rain) produces bland-tasting fruit.
Why do my cantaloupe have no flavor?
Excess water can cause flavor to be bland. The two key times when too much water makes the most difference is when the fruits just start forming and about 1 week before ripening. Like most crops, cantaloupes grow and taste best when they get a consistent supply of dampness — not too much, not too little.
Will cantaloupe sweeten after picking?
Therefore, flavor will not improve nor will they become sweeter—t is what it is at harvest. However, cantaloupe and similar fruit will continue to ripen after harvest. Once into the ripening process, fruit will gain sugar, flavor will improve and flesh soften.
What can you add to cantaloupe to make it sweeter?
Sprinkle sugar or sugar substitute onto the cantaloupe. Toss the cantaloupe gently with the sugar until it has been evenly distributed. Try a piece of cantaloupe. If it still needs to be sweetened, sprinkle more sugar and toss the cantaloupe again.
Why are my cantaloupe bland?
According to Penn Live, cantaloupes grow without ripening much at all until they are almost ready to pick. The melons then ripen quite quickly on the vine. So if farmers pick their cantaloupes too soon, they won’t have that sweet, summery flavor you expect.
What fertilizer should I use on cantaloupe?
For seeded or transplanted cantaloupes, apply 100 to 150 pounds per acre of a pop-up fertilizer such as 10-34-0 to enhance early growth, especially in cool/cold soils early in the spring. Pop-up fertilizer should be banded 2 to 3 inches to the side of the row and 2 to 3 inches below the seeds or roots.
Why do my cantaloupe taste sour?
If you bite into a sour cantaloupe, it is usually spoiling, fermenting, or unripe. If your cantaloupe is fermenting, you may experience a slight fizziness in your mouth and an astringent, sour smell and taste. Due to the sugars in cantaloupe, yeasts can cause it to ferment.
Should cantaloupe vines be pruned?
Try to avoid pruning your cantaloupe vines unless you absolutely have to. If you’ve provided plenty of space for them to grow, the only times you should need to prune are when there is pest or disease damage to remove. If you can manage it, only allow one fruit per stem, and no more than 5-6 per plant in total.
Should you pinch cantaloupe flowers?
A small upside-down flower pot will work well. Avoid pinching off shoots because an abundance of healthy leaves will produce sweeter fruit.
Do cantaloupes like Epsom salt?
Does cantaloupe like Epsom salt? The cantaloupes will ripen faster and the fruit is protected from insects and rot. For sweeter watermelons and cantaloupes when the plant starts vining and again when small 1-inch melons appear, spray with 6 1/2 tablespoons Epsom salts and 3 1/2 tablespoons borax in 5 gallons of water.
How do I make my tasteless melon better?
Reach for a condiment. There’s actually a way to make a bad melons taste, well, better. And it’s all thanks to one ingredient: salt.
How do you soften and sweeten cantaloupe?
Place the melon in a brown paper bag.
The fruit should not be squeezed into the bag too tightly. Ideally, you should leave a little room for airflow inside the bag. Make sure that you close the top of the bag when you are ready to let the melon begin ripening.
Why is my fruit tasteless?
Wax coating is applied to many fruits and vegetables for a longer shelf life. While most waxes are safe (carnauba), they “choke” the fruit. Anaerobic respiration kicks in, and while the fruit itself still looks nice and shiny, it starts to lose it’s natural taste.
How can I make bland cantaloupe taste better?
Sweet, ripe, summer melons are better with salt. Salt makes their flavor pop. It contrasts their sweetness and accentuates their refreshing qualities.
What happens if you pick a cantaloupe too early?
If you harvest too soon, you’ll be left with a hard, tasteless, or bitter melon, as the sugars haven’t had sufficient time to develop and fully sweeten. And once they’re picked, they won’t continue to ripen.
Will green cantaloupe ripen off the vine?
Unlike other fruits, cantaloupes will not ripen once picked from the vine. At the grocery store, then, what you see is what you get: The fruit will not ripen very much once left on the counter at home, so it’s important to pick a good cantaloupe.
How can I increase the sweetness of my fruit?
Baking, sautéing, and cooking fruit down into a compote (without adding water), reduce its water content, thus concentrating flavors and increasing sweetness.
Does salt Make cantaloupe sweeter?
Salty To Sweet
By sprinkling a little salt on your melon you are creating a high-salt concentration area next to those cells. Their water is drawn up to the surface where you bite, bringing flavor with it. The melon has become miraculously sweeter thanks to salt!