Melon

Why you should be excited

Melon is a delicious fresh-eating apple with a refreshing flavour some compare to melon or strawberry.

The story of Melon

No, it doesn’t have red or orange flesh. And its flavour is as likely to be compared to berries as it is to melons. But Melon is still an apple well worth your attention.

It’s a big, pretty apple, with strawberry red striping on a yellow background and crisp, tender flesh that’s juicy, delicious and considered to be of high quality.

Grown for the commercial trade in 19th and early 20th century New York State, this is an apple that’s as good to eat as it is reminiscent of an earlier era of apple diversity.

It's also known as Watermelon and Norton’s Melon.

Melon Facts

Its origins

Discovered in East Bloomfield, New York, USA, 1845.

Flavour, aroma, texture

A crisp, tender, juicy apple with a mild but refreshing flavour some compare to that of melons or berries.

Appearance

Large, with strawberry-red striping over a yellow background. Very nice to look at.

When they’re available

Late season (usually mid-October).

Quality for fresh eating

Very good.

Quality for cooking

Mainly for fresh eating.

Quality for cider

Like most heritage varieties, Melon was used extensively in cider back in the day, even if it is known overwhelmingly as a fresh-eating apple.

Keeping ability

Good (3 months or more when kept refrigerated).