To this one in the cover photo I gave the name Melone Menta – also because I have not found what the real name is -, not only for the color, but because it has the typical fresh aftertaste of mint.
It is an ancient melon. Of those that cannot be found in the markets, because they are “out of the market”. That is, the varieties available are those selected because they probably have the highest yield in terms of consumption.
The visual feature is to have two distinct and separate strips of pulp of two colors.
Both the orange and green parts of this melon are very sweet, even if at first sight it may seem bland and unripe. It has a compact pulp, pleasant to bite and chew. It is perhaps the best melon among those grown by Pellegrino in his Val di Chiana.
He cultivates many varieties of them, in his garden as big as a football field, and every year he dedicates an area to melons that I believe to be between 150 and 200 square meters: an open space crossed by twirls of twisted shoots and leaves, with balls of different shades of yellow here and there: it looks like an embroidered tablecloth.
Every year Pellegrino keeps the seeds, obtained from his father, who had received them from his grandfather … I don’t know for how many generations back.
Another extraordinary melon I call Melone Acqua: it has the color and flavor – very sweet – of those found in the markets, a familiar flavor. It is the texture that displaces, because it is similar to that of watermelon. It is watery, refreshing and thirst-quenching.
Now the melons have all been harvested and are in the cellar, waiting to be .. eaten. There are green, white, yellow, orange, smooth, reticulated, round, oblong, small, large … ..
Yes, I know, I always say it. I am a lucky girl.