NW Melon Season is Off to a Tasty Start
Melons have been on since May from Mexico and California and as the Northwest season kicks off, OGC’s melon buyer Rachel Pienovi is sourcing delicious melon from growers in Hermiston, Oregon and Eltopia, Washington. East of the Cascade Mountains, melons are ripening, and the sweet, juicy fruits that eaters have been waiting for all year are ready to make their way to produce departments and plates.
Summer is officially in full swing and Northwest grown melons are arriving at OGC’s warehouse right on time. “The weather this summer has kept us on track for a delicious melon season,” says Rachel. Fruit is already trickling in from famed Hermiston, Oregon and excellent growers in Eastern Washington, and these rich and sweet melons are eating great.
Tuscan, Galia, Charentais, and crisp, sweet Snow Leopard are starting to arrive too, and volume should ramp up over the next few weeks. Honeydew and Hami melons are available from California, and Northwest fruit will be available next week. Northwest Hami, Canary and Tuscan melons are harvesting this weekend.
On the watermelon front, OGC should be shipping tasty mini and seeded melons from the Northwest by the end of next week. The harvest of classic green striped and black seedless watermelons
will be ongoing in the Northwest, so the transition from California should be seamless. Black seedless watermelons will be packed in beautiful Ladybug Brand® bins, ready to be displayed front
and center.
Dry farmed melons are arriving soo too. A sustainable technique that requires very little irrigation to grow crops, dry farming relies on efficiently storing moisture from rainfall in the soil to grow juicy melons with concentrated flavors. This ancient and innovative growing method helps to save precious water and makes for fruit that’s extra sweet and rich.
The dry farmed season is just getting started with Sugar Cube and Charentais are arriving next week followed by Sharlyn and Piel de Sapo in late July. Personal-sized Sugar Cube is a variety Rachel looks forward to every summer. “I love eating half of a Sugar Cube melon filled with yogurt and sprinkled with granola,” she says. “You don’t even need any honey! It’s my ideal summer breakfast.” Sugar Cube is only available dry farmed from Northwest farms, so it’s a particularly special addition to your department’s summer set.
Be sure to check out OGC’s Melon Toolkit for loads of information on all the great varieties coming from the Northwest this year, as well as handy signage for your displays.