Fresh At The Farmers' Market: Sweet Cantaloupe

Everyone seems to have a favorite type of melon when it comes to picking through a fruit salad — some love the ruby red watermelon or a green-tinted honeydew, and others prefer the sweet flavor and soft texture of cantaloupe.

The melon known as a cantaloupe in the U.S. is actually a muskmelon, according to the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association (PCFMA). True cantaloupes are come from Europe and have a rough gray-green skin quite different from the melons grown stateside.

But the American cantaloupe is still delicious — with a soft, creamy texture and density that makes it perfect for a breakfast parfait or crepe. The flesh can also be used in salads and desserts.

To pick the best cantaloupe at the farmers' market, PCFMA suggests looking for a shallow indent where the stem was attached, a yellow color underneath the thick network of veins and a strong fragrance. 

Find recipes like Cantaloupe Salsa on the PCFMA website. 

Pleasant Hill Farmers' Market Schedules

• Downtown Pleasant Hill (9 a.m to 1 p.m. Saturdays)
• Pleasant Hill BART (11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays)

• Todos Santos Plaza, Concord (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays)
• Sunvalley Mall (8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays)