Is a melon ripe for the eating? Here's how to tell.

The age-old question of when melons are ripe remains a mystery to most consumers. Clues to ripeness are different in the various melons. Cantaloupe skin will have a golden hue and a little give when pressed with fingers, says Wilson Farms' s Tony Casieri, and , like Sharlyns, will be very fragrant at room temperature. They should be kept chilled at 35 to 40 degrees, he says, if you want to hold them for several days.

The produce manager picks up a large, oval-shaped Crenshaw and points out that it's not quite at its peak. ``When ripe, it will look orangey to the eye." A Galia, which resembles a cantaloupe, should have a nice yellow color; its flesh is green. Santa Claus melons, sometimes called Christmas melons, have thick skins and aren't fragrant but can be stored in the refrigerator for several months. Ripening stops as soon as you cut into a melon.

To tell if a honeydew is ripe, Casieri rubs his fingers across a pink-fleshed honeydew, looking for skin that is starting to feel tacky to the touch. Another clue to ripeness in these winter melons is spidery veins that run across the base of the melon. Sometimes customers think that's a sign the melons aren't perfect, he says, but actually it shows they're sweet. ``Not everything is perfect looking."

Watermelons are the trickiest, Casieri says. People have all sorts of ways to check for ripeness, from thumping them to see if there's a hollow sound to checking the stem end to feel if there is a little give. The best way is to cut into them, he says, because tasting is the only sure way to tell how sweet the flesh is. ``It all has to do with the time of year, the variety, and the grower."

Since many produce managers taste a sample of all melons they buy, he adds, you can always ask someone to choose for you. It pays to trust your vendor.

ALISON ARNETT