It’s the time of year I anticipate most, chamoe season! Here’s our 사과참외/sagwa chamoe, one of two native Korean melons we grow. The diversity of chamoe grown in Korea was impacted first by Japanese occupation, and then by the range of pressures farmers faced following trade liberalization. Sweeter varieties of Euncheon Chamoe, the yellow and white striped cultivar were introduced in the late 1950’s and now comprise over 70% of chamoe production. Korean melons are refreshing, crunchy with a mild sweetness that melds with other flavors. For those of you growing them, knowing when to harvest is key. Since chamoe won’t slip from the vine like other melons, you’ll need to watch for cues as they size up and ripen. Young fruit, once they hit their size, will be dark green. They’ll gradually lighten up, and are best when they start to show a yellow hue, but are mostly pale cream-green. On hot days, pick a chamoe throw it into your cooler and then enjoy it in the shade for lunch. They’re so refreshing, and sagwa chamoe especially taste like nature’s Melona. When saving seeds, determine which plants seem most vigorous or especially hardy. Chamoe set a bunch of fruit at once, so depending on how many plants you have, you may want to thin off young fruit and let two melons ripen seeds. You don’t need to leave them on the vine much longer than when they’re ideal for eating, fortunately. Even perfectly ripe fruit is able to mature a lot of viable and healthy seeds. We hope that these chamoe are providing you with some sweet relief in the midst of heat waves everywhere!