All About Melons
I think we all know about this fruit. Juicy and fresh, it’s good in a hot day. Nothing beats a slice of icy cold melon in a hot day. Their juicy sweetness leaves you ready for more. A melon’s flesh is just about 95 percent water, so is it any wonder that they are just a refreshing as a cool drink?
Melons come in lots of shapes and sizes, but the most popular ones here are watermelons, cantaloupes and honeydew melons (although others are available). Eat melons when they are perfectly ripe for optimum flavor. Aroma is a good way to test this, they usually taste like they smell!
Watermelons are more difficult to test the ripeness due to their thick skin. Choose those that are firm with even coloration. It is best purchase a piece from a cut melon – look for firm, crisp, brightly colored flesh and a soft waxy rind.
Melons keep well in the refrigerator. If unripe when purchased, leave at room temperature for a few days until ripe, and the store in the refrigerator.
Melons are quite versatile and, due to their sweet, juicy flesh, complement many foods and flavorings. The recipes we have chosen for this section demonstrate this by teaming them with seafood, pastry and curry, to name but a few.
Nutrition fact of Melons
We already know that this fruit also useful for health. Melon also contains many essential nutrients needed by the body. In 100 grams of melon flesh are important nutrients such as: 14.8 g carbohydrates, 1.55 g protein, 0.5 g fat, 546.9 mg potassium, 5706.5 IU Vitamin A (meet 64 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin A), and 74.7 mg Vitamin C (meet 12 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin C).
The Uniqueness - Melon With Hello Kitty Motif
We can see the uniqueness of Melon in Japan. This country is endless for creating a wide variety of unique products. Although Japan is well known as the country that sells super expensive fruits.But if you are willing to buy a melon with Hello Kitty motif, you can find it in Hokkaido.
It called "Furano Melon". This is a kind of melon which has a Hello Kitty motif, the character of the famous cartoon cat from Japan. We can see the face of Hello Kitty motifs like tacked on the outer skin. The Furano Melon weighs about 1.8 pounds and it is only sold on a limited basis, than as usual melon, which is about 5,000 ¥, and will be sold until around the end of July 2014.
Squared Melon
The benefit of melons for health
With the complete of the nutritional value, don’t be surprised if one of the melon fruit useful to enhance the immune system and prevent a variety of diseases, such as:
- Maintain eyes health. Melon is also enriched with beta-carotene. This substance is useful to improve the sharpness and maintain eye health. Beta-carotene is converted by the body into vitamin A and it is used to improve the function of the body's eyes, especially in rooms with minimal lighting.
- Look younger. Melon also contains collagen. This substance is often used to reduce the effects of aging for women in the world in order to look younger. Collagen is also useful to accelerate wound healing.
- Fresh diet menu. More than 90 percent of water inside melon can give a refreshing effect and prevents the heat inside. The fruit is very low in calories, fat and cholesterol free, making it suitable to be consumed when you are in diet program.
- Prevent cancer. As well as the ability of other fruits, melon also has the ability to ward off cancer because it attacks the carotenoid content. Carotenoids are pigments which giving color to fruits and also vegetables. The carotenoid content in this fruit can prevent some cancers, such as breast cancer and also lung cancer.
- Prevent heart attack and stroke.In addition to effectively prevent some cancers. Melon also contain adenosine. It's able to stop the clotting of blood cells which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Adenosine also works for the red blood cells and has function to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Prevent Impotence (Erectile Dysfunction). Well, if you have this problem, you should immediately consume the melon. According to several studies in the United Kingdom, melon contains an amino acid called citrulline. This substance can produce arginine. Arginine is also useful to improve the blood flow, especially blood flow to the sexual organs. Arginine works as a stimulator for widen of blood vessels. It's good for blood flow to the sexual organs and avoiding erectile dysfunction (impotence).
Melon has a very good diuretic power. So it can cure kidney disease and also can cure an acute eczema. If combined with lemon, melon can suppress the gout disease. You can get all these benefits by consume melons regularly once a day in the morning.
Herbal Recipe with Melon
1. To improve efficacy of melon juice, it can be added by the lime juice, honey as a sweetener, ginger juice and cold water or ice cubes. How to make it fairly easy, first squeezed lemon juice and use for 2 tablespoons. Continue with grated ginger then squeeze it, also 2 tablespoons. Then enter all of the ingredients into a blender, do not forget with 2 tablespoons of honey.
2. Asthma medications
Ingredients:
- 7 cloves of garlic
- One small melon
How to make:
- Melon peeled and discarded the middle.
- Fill the hole with garlic, then closed again.
- And then steamed it until cooked, blender with enough water
Dosage:
Drink a glass of herb, 1 times a day
How To Make a Melon Sorbet
Melon Jelly Ice
Ingredients:
- 2 packs of green jelly
- 150 g sugar
- 750 ml of water
- 500 g of melon, diced
- 200 ml of sweetened condensed milk
- 200 ml melon syrup
- Shaved ice
How to make:
1. Mix green jelly and sugar, stir well.
2. Add water and stir.
3. Simmer over medium heat, stirring until boiling.
4. Remove and pour into a mold that has been soaked in water, let stand until hardened.
5. Remove from the mold, cut into cubes.
Presentation:
Prepare a serving bowl. Arrange the pieces of green jelly, diced melon, and shaved ice. Add melon syrup and sweetened condensed milk. Serve.
