Mini Melon — All the Sweetness, None of the Leftovers

A full-size melon is often more fruit than one or two people can get through while it's still at its best, and that's exactly the gap Mini Melon fills — a genuinely smaller variety rather than an underripe regular melon, sized for a single sitting or two without the last quarter going soft in the fridge. Everything about choosing one is the same as with a full-size melon, just at a smaller scale: it should feel heavy for its size, and a ripe one gives off a noticeably sweet aroma at the stem end, which is often the clearest sign with smaller, more fragrant varieties like this one. A gentle press at the blossom end should yield slightly. Its smaller size also makes it easy to halve and eat straight from the skin with a spoon, no elaborate cutting required.