#Fruit August 20

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Today’s 30 Day Daily #Coach4adayChallenge prompt is to identify your favorite FRUIT.

The definition of FRUIT is sometimes considered tricky. Most American probably consider peppers and cucumbers vegetables but a botanist would sat they are seed bearing. Lists of top ten FRUITS rarely count peppers or tomatoes. For example below is a list I found online of the top 10 consumed FRUITS in the US.

Other lists include melons and cherries much higher up on the list then the one above.

Favorite Fruit

For me there is nothing like a fresh and ripe cantaloupe. It might be news to my wife but the growing of these melons did not take place in the south. Commercial cantaloupe production did not begin in the United States until the 1870s and was initially centered in Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey.

A common name for cantaloupe is musk melon. Cantaloupes are a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes summer and winter squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, watermelons, and gourds.

One reason that these melons might do better in warmer climates is their sensitivity to various weather conditions. Cantaloupes are very sensitive to cold temperatures, and even a mild frost can injure the crop. The best average temperature range for cantaloupe production during the growing season is between 65 and 95°F; temperatures above 95°F or below 50°F will slow the growth and maturation of the crop. Cantaloupes require a constant supply of moisture during the growing season.

If I was going to pick a perfect summer evening meal it would be fresh sliced tomatoes, corn on the cob, and cantaloupe. What is everyone else favorite FRUIT.