Instructions: Edible melons are categorized in one of two broad classes. Watermelons -

"the food that angels eat," according to Mark Twain - and muskmelons.

Muskmelons include cantaloupes, Cranshaw, Persian and honeydew to name a few. The name "musk," the old Persian word for perfume, arises from the melons sweet, hot, somehow exotic scent. All have pale seeds within a fiber-filled hollow center where they are easy to scoop out and discard.

All melons sweet flesh is more than 90 percent water. Thats why a slice of cold melon is as refreshing as a cool drink. Although the high water content usually limits the flesh to being used raw, no part of the melon need be wasted.

The shells can become containers for salads or desserts. The seeds of watermelons can be toasted and served as snacks. The thick inner rind of watermelons and other smooth-skinned melons can be pickled or candied.

CANTALOUPE - available June, July and August. Look for one with a smooth, nicely rounded, somewhat depressed scar at the stem end; beige to yellow to golden skin covered with a coarse, dry netting definably raised above the skin; measuring about 5 inches through the middle, weighing in the neighborhood of 3 pounds. Its ripe when the rind gives slightly when pressed, seeds rattle somewhat when its shaken and the smell is rich - spicy-and-musky.

CASABA - available September and October. Look for an onion shape, tapering to a point at the stem end, where a part of the stem may still be attached; colors range from pale green to golden yellow, with a tough/rough rind streaked with deep, lengthwise wrinkles. It wont have a noticeable aroma. They average about 6 1/2 inches in diameter and weigh about 6 pounds.

CRANSHAW - available August and September. Look for one that is longer than wide, rounded at the blossom end, somewhat pointed at the other, with a rind that is green/gold and lightly ribbed.

HONEYDEW - available June through October. Look for one that is a rounded oval shape with a cream-yellow color. Yellow patches, giving the appearance that the white has rubbed off, indicate a good choice. They average 7 inches in diameter and weigh about 5-7 pounds. When it is ripe there will be a pleasant fragrance, and the rind will give slightly under pressure, particularly at the blossom end.

PERSIAN - available July to October. Look for one that is basketball shape, completely round with dark gray-green rind covered with flat netting. They average 6-7 inches in diameter and weigh about 7 pounds.

When ripe, the rind under the netting will turn lighter green or green/brown and give slightly under pressure. It will have a pleasant, distinctive aroma.

WATERMELON - available from May into September. Look for long, rounded cylinders to almost-round shaped. The rind can vary from all over medium-dark green to striped to mottled dark/light green; whatever the color, it should be somewhat velvety rather than brightly shiny. Diameters vary and weights range from 16-30 pounds; large melons have more edible meat in proportion than small ones. So-called seedless watermelons still have a few seeds. These melon varieties have been bred in such a way that their seeds are immature and white, which makes them easier to eat.

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