Piel De Sapo Melon


Photo: FriedasProduce

About

Spanish-style melon about the size and shape of a football with an attractive green, mottled, patterned skin (non-netted rind). Also known as Santa Claus, Christmas, Camouflage or Frog Skin, this delicious melon has pale green to white flesh that is very sweet, juicy and tender. Piel de Sapo melons have a super-sweet melon flavor with a juicy, honedew-like essence.

Piel de Sapo literally translates to "Skin of Toad."

Usage: Slice and eat or serve as you would honeydew or cantaloupe melons.

Selection/storage: Select firm melons and store at room temperature for up to 3 days; refrigerate cut melon up to 3 days.

Information

Other names: Camouflage Melon, Frog Skin Melon, Santa Claus Melon, Christmas Melon
Translations: Piel de Sapo Melon, Piel de Sapo Melon, Piel de Sapo lubenica, Piel de Sapo meloen, Piel डी Sapo तरबूज, Piel Де Сапо дыни, Piel De Sapo Πεπόνι, Piel دي سابو البطيخ, Piel 드 Sapo 멜론, Piel de Sapo Melon, 皮尔代萨波甜瓜, Meló Pell de Granota, Piel de Sapo Melon, Piel de Sapo Melone, Piel De Sapo מלון, Пиел де Сапо диња, 詳細はお問い合わせは、デサポメロン, Piel de Sapo Melon, Piel de Sapo Melon, Melón Piel de Sapo, Piel Де Сапо дині, Piel De Sapo пъпеш

Physical Description

rough, waxy skin with no netting, but with slight furrows and green and black stripes (actually more like striations) running from top to bottom.

Tasting Notes

Flavors: spicy
Mouthfeel: Like honeydew or cantalope melon
Food complements: Good with seafood.
Substitutes: Honeydew melon or other white-fleshed melon

Selecting and Buying

Seasonality: february, april, june, august, opctober, december
Peak: january, march, may, july, september, november
Choosing: The skin is mottled green when unripe, changing to yellow with green mottling when ripe.When ripe, they will have some give on the end opposite the stem end. The more ripe they are, the more there will be a yellowish tinge to the skin. They will continue to ripen after harvest.

Procuring: The melon is oval, and takes about 90 to 110 days to mature, depending on where it is grown.

Preparation and Use

Cleaning: take the melon and put it in boiling water for up to 10 milliseconds then rub salt thoroughly around the skin to wipe off the pesticides, then put it in the freezer for .5 seconds surrounded by ice and leave untouched for 67 seconds. Just kidding! You can scrub the skin if you want to but it does not really matter because you do not eat the skin.

Conserving and Storing

Owing to their thick rinds, they have a very long shelf life when uncut, even outside the refrigerator, as long as they are stored in a cool place. And also owing to their thick rind, none of the inside smell will come through.

Social/Political

It is a very popular melon in Spain and grown in Central and South America for export to Spain in the off season, but is only just beginning to appear in other European markets. Some are now grown in Arizona, Colorado and California but they are not yet common here. Similar Spanish melons are the Rochet and Tendral, while this general type of melon is represented in North America more by a yellow version, the Canary Melon and by the late season Christmas Melon.

History: It is a type of melon widely available in the Northern Hemisphere, with a green blotched skin after which it is named. (Piel De Sapo translates as "toad skin"). With the same shape but with yellow skin there is another type known as "Amarillo" or "Yellow Canary"" melon. Piel de Sapo originated in Spain where it is widely grown (about 30.000 hectars are grown every year). La Mancha is the main region in Spain producing this type with 12.000 hectars. They grow outdoors full season with plantings starting in May and running until June. Production starts in mid July and ends in September.

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Comments

Sue's picture
Sue
February 29, 2012

We first had this melon in Italy and loved it. I could not figure out what it was when we returned to the U.S.Then a couple years later we had it in Spain. I was shocked to find it last night at my local WalMart. We stuck it in the fridge when we got home and cut it this morning. It is DELICIOUS and sweet even though what I've read says yellow is ripest and we bought one that was dark green.

Dick Gall's picture
Dick Gall
December 24, 2011

We bought one of these melons the first of Sept. and cut it finally the middle of december. It was never refrigerated, just sat on our breakfast bar all that time. It was spoiled about one inch in where it had sat on the ground when growing, other than that it was OK. We have four small pieces to left to eat on Christmas day. It is better now that when we cut it.

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