How to pick a ripe honeydew—be picky.

Today as I left the gym after aerobics class, a gentleman stood chatting at the counter holding a beautiful cantaloupe. From 6 feet away, just from the orange peeking out from under its webbed skin, I could tell it was a good one. I asked him where he got it. He replied—Green River. Ahhh. That made sense. We grow very fine cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon here in Utah. Fragrant and luscious as can be, they come north from Green River, a truck and train stop town on the way to Canyonlands National Park near Moab, or Hurricane, a town in Southern Utah near Zion National Park.

I didn’t have a Green River melon for this recipe but I sure wanted one. Exactly 2 ½ weeks ago, I was gifted a honeydew. It never got ripe. I kinda knew that it wouldn’t. Subject honeydew was super hard, did not weigh heavily in my hand or give off any sort of fragrance and the skin was white-green–all the characteristics of a melon picked when immature. It didn’t have a hope for ripeness. But I let it sit on the counter all that time, until I came across this interesting recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen.

I have to say it was the best possible use of a melon unripe without a future because this soup was a winner. I can’t wait to try this recipe again. I am going to start by being picky. I will only buy another honeydew if it has the potential to be delectable—a strong melon smell, a bit of give on the vine end when I touch it, a warmer yellow green and a heft that speaks juicy and yummy. I can already taste the improvement.

Melon-Basil Soup with Cucumber

1 honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped (about 4 cups)

1 cucumber, peeled and seeds removed

1 cup fresh basil leaves

¼ cup ripe avocado

6 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice (I used key limes)

½ teaspoon Real Salt

Extra virgin olive oil

Smoked paprika

Place the chopped melon in a blender jar. Reserve a ¼ of the cucumber; roughly chop the remainder and add it to the blender along with the basil, lime juice and salt. Puree until completely smooth. Chill or serve immediately.

Cut the remaining cucumber in ¼-inch dice. Divide the soup into bowls. Garnish with some diced cucumber, a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of the smoked paprika and if desired, a few grains of high quality salt.

Makes 4 servings.

• Tasting Table adds a couple of ice cubes to the blender for insured coolness.

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Green Garlic, Spinach and Tortilla Soup

A milestone birthday came my way last month, and to celebrate we threw a party–with house made margaritas. Now I can easily say no thanks to a margarita made with bottled mix, but if the recipe is pure tequila, triple sec and fresh lime juice, that’s another story. And not just any lime juice, it must be key lime juice, or jugo de limones, from the smaller, sweeter limes of Florida and Mexico.

Limones and Serrano chiles

Our Latino market here in Park City sold me a case of fragrant limones—for $20. And the day of the party, my girlfriend Laurie came over and hand-squeezed them all. It took her 3 hours. In the end it was probably worth her sore wrist, because this month her husband celebrates the same milestone birthday and she has ample fresh-squeezed proper lime juice now stored in her freezer, ready for many more batches of house made margaritas. Ole! Ole!

What I am illustrating here is that you really must use the same limes for this soup, loosely based on Yucatan Lime Soup, famous where these limones are abundantly falling off the trees. Our Ranui Gardens CSA box this week contains sorrel, spinach, and green garlic and I have a temporary crown on one side of my mouth, so soup like this is in order.

Green Garlic, Spinach and Tortilla Soup

4 corn tortillas, preferably organic

Grapeseed or olive oil

1 bunch green garlic, washed and chopped in its entirety

2 serrano chiles, seeds and veins removed, finely minced

1 quart vegetable stock

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns

¼ cup chopped sorrel leaves

1 cup chopped washed spinach leaves

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

¼ cup fresh-squeezed juice from key limes

Real Salt, as needed

Avocado slices, optional

Brush the tortillas with oil and cut them in strips, about 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long. Toast in the oven or toaster oven until just lightly toasted, which should take 4 to 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the strips—they can quickly go from perfectly toasted to burnt. Set them aside.

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a soup pot on low flame. Sauté until the green garlic is translucent but not brown, stirring often. Add the vegetable stock and the tomatoes, along with the bay leaves, thyme and cracked peppercorns. Bring the pot to a simmer. Add the sorrel and spinach and cook and stir another minute.

Remove the thyme sprigs and the bay leaves. Add the lime zest and juice. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately, garnished with the tortilla strips and avocado, if desired.

Serves 4.

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