Tuscan Cantaloupe IN SEASON Again!

GUYS - IT IS TUSCAN CANTALOUPE SEASON!  

Tuscan Cantaloupe - it's what's for breakfast

(Let me be honest with you - I cannot spell cantaloupe without really thinking!  It's a tough one to spell, eh?)

Cantaloupe is not normally my favorite fruit.  David brought one home last week and I noticed it was really making the kitchen smell "canteloupe-y" (perhaps I am trying to break my habit of spelling cantaloupe wrong by spelling it as many times as possible in this post...).  When we ate it, it was super tasty.  And that's when it hit me:  THIS WAS NOT A REGULAR-RUN-OF-THE-MILL-BORING-CANTALOUPE, it must be TUSCAN CANTALOUPE SEASON!!

We found these gems at Trader Joe's last year and they got a coveted 5 star review!  I re-read the review today and it made me giggle - I wrote it when I was a bit ticked at David for grocery shopping without me (we both really like grocery shopping...).  Here is the review from back on day 164 of this project:

Tuscan Cantaloupe Review

You need a Tuscan Cantaloupe.  Get one now, while they are in season.  Once they are gone, the shelves will once again be stocked with little melon sized balls of sorta bland tasting orange stuff. But for now, grab a bit of delicious!

P.S. - I noticed that the original review talked about how David's dad, who I called Mr. Gaines, ate the same breakfast Every.  Single.  Morning.  I can't believe I neglected to include a PHOTO of Mr. Gaines!  He was such a sweeeet man - wise, funny, loving, and smart.  So here he is - MR. GAINES!

David and his DAD
My mom was losing her hair while on chemo, so we shaved our heads in solidarity.
Well, Mr. Gaines didn't shave, he was already bald...  

Mr. Gaines LOVED ice cream.  Actually, he liked all things chocolate...
Here we are after eating ice cream with him (circa 1995)

Day 216 - Boysenberry Preserves

David reviewed this product, since I have a general dislike for jelly/jam/preserves.  All opinions expressed in this review are his.

First off, they should have named it Boysenberry in the Hood.  (Susan wholeheartedly agrees that would be a very fun name – Trader Joe’s corporate please take note J .)

David, at our local Trader Joe's in Virginia, excited to get a new treat

 This Boysenberry Jam (Preserves) has some seeds in it, or, as the British call them, pips.  This is my own fault, as I prefer JELLY, but when I looked in the jar while in the store, I did not SEE any pips, as one can with raspberry jam for instance. 

Apparently it is not pip-free.  (Not that it claimed to be, mnd you, but the pips were invisible through the jar.)

If you don’t mind the pips, you are in for a smoooooth, sweet, and mellow jam that tastes like boysenberry.  It is not as tart as raspberry.  It is more like a strawberry jam, but without the texture of strawberries.  And instead of tasting like STRAWBERRY, it tastes of…  BOYSENBERRY.

Boysenberry is quite a long name for a berry.  But I guess it is only one letter longer than strawberry.  

The pips are soft and do not stick in your teeth like those mean raspberry pips.  Sadly, before the end of your piece of toast, you find yourself longing a bit for the excitement of more tartness.  But if you are in a  jam jam and need a fix, this is a jam for you (see what he did there??).

David's breakfast (see the Tuscan melon in the background?  Delicious and got a 5 star review on day 164 of this blog)

Price – $3.69

Rating – 3.75

Day164 - Tuscan Cantaloupe

 If ever a fruit deserved a 5 star rating, this is it. 

My partner David came home from Trader Joe’s raving about the “Tuscan Cantaloupe” he had sampled in the store.  Personally, I was skeptical.  I mean, a CANTALOUPE is a CANTALOUPE, right??  And if you think of all the fruits you could possibly eat, cantaloupe would not normally make my top 5 list.  (Maybe I was also skeptical because I was ticked at him…  I had to work all day and I THOUGHT we were going grocery shopping TOGETHER, after I was off work, and here he just went without me…  Ok yeah, that was part of my negativity, I confess…)

Anyway, he brought one of these cantaloupes home with him.  Even before it was cut it sort of stunk up our kitchen with cantaloupe smell (oh my, “stunk up”, my crankiness at being left behind while he gallivanted around is really showing, isn’t it???).  I guess a little piece of me might have also thought, “Here it is, the moment David turns into his father.”  You see, David’s dad (Stanley) ate cantaloupe for breakfast EVERY SINGLE DAY.  When we lived with him to take care of him the last couple months of his life, we cut cantaloupe every morning (plus prepared a bowl of the same cereal (Special K), a banana, and Entenmann’s – now that I write that out I realize that was a HUGE breakfast!).   You can see why my brain went, “Wow, David is now in love with cantaloupe, could this be the final conversion where he BECOMES his father???”.  J

Here it is, amoung the pineapples, the TUSCAN CANTALOUPE

But the next morning David sliced that melon open and served it up for breakfast.  YES.  It is a GOOD CANTALOUPE!  I am not sure what it is about “Tuscan” cantaloupe that makes it different from, say, Tallahassee cantaloupe, but whatever it is, I say YES.  This is a really tasty melon!  There is no mushiness, yet it is not too firm either.  Often with cantaloupe I put on a bit of salt to give it some flavor, but this melon needs nothing added.  Well, if I was going to add anything, it would be very thinly sliced prosciutto.  Oh now my mouth is watering at the thought of that…  We are going to an outdoor party tomorrow evening, maybe that is what we will bring!  It sounds perfect!

All prepared and ready to E A T

We were at Trader Joe’s last night (yes, we went together this time J ) and I did a price comparison between melons to see if the prized TUSCAN one was more expensive than the others.  It turns out it is exactly the same price as an organic cantaloupe ($3.49) but more than a conventional cantaloupe ($2.99).  Trust me, it is worth the extra .50 cents. 

Traditional cantaloupe is cheaper, but not as good

Organic - same price as Tuscan.  GET TUSCAN!

My advice is:  TRY ONE!  They are a flyer item this month, and I am not sure how long they will carry them.  The signage at our Trader Joe’s (so nice to be back home and get to go to our local store!) said, “One taste and no other melon will do!”.  I agree!  Get one now while you can!

Very honest sign - trust it.

Price - $3.49

Rating - 5