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Springfield, MO

Help! We've got a huge canteloupe in the yard, but suddenly the fruit has begun to turn yellow. Almost 3 weeks to go until weigh-off. ANYTHING we can do to make it keep until then?? My daughter has been growing this thing and she is going to be really disappointed if we cannot enter it into the weigh-off at Republic. (It is definitely the largest canteloupe I have ever personally seen, but it doesn't challenge Spudley's.)

-- Chris

9/12/2004 5:06:26 PM

Western Pa.

The secret to getting a giant canteloupe to the weigh-off is TIMING.(Planting and picking) Unfortunately, it sounds as if yours is ripe. I have had them go completely from green to yellow overnight. The only way I know to tell when it's ready to start ripening is when it stops growing. This means measuring them daily, and picking while green. A green one will last up to a month wrapped well in saran wrap and kept in the refrigerator. (Make sure nothing else "bumps" into it.) You may want to try this but there's no guarantee yours will last 3 weeks. I hope it does!

Been dere, done that!

9/12/2004 8:18:14 PM

Thanks, Kilr. We've got it in the fridge. We will get an official weight tomorrow. Amazing how fast that yellow spread across the fruit...like you said within 24 hours almost completely yellow. We'll see... Chris

9/15/2004 12:18:56 AM

Springfield, MO

In case anybody still looks at this thread...the cantaloupe was bagged in two paper sacks and two plastic trashbags, placed in the fridge. Some humidity condensed inside the trashbags, but...the cantaloupe survived completely intact. It weighed 31.24 lbs. 2 weeks before the official weigh-off, and had decreased to 30.9 lbs. by 10/2/04. Not a new state record, but we are very happy with it.

Thanks for the help,
Chris

10/3/2004 11:20:54 PM

Wichita, KS

Wow. Good job! Good news that it didn't loose much weight, either! :-D

10/4/2004 11:34:18 AM