Pera Melon — The "Sweet Cucumber" That's Neither, Really

Its Spanish name, pepino dulce, translates to "sweet cucumber," and that's about as close as any single description gets — the flesh sits somewhere between cucumber, honeydew, and cantaloupe, mild and lightly sweet rather than punchy. The skin is smooth and pear-shaped, starting pale green and turning golden-yellow with distinctive purple streaks as it ripens. Unlike a true melon, thumping it tells you nothing useful; the better tests are smell and touch. A ripe one gives off a light, sweet fragrance — not heavy or cloying — and yields slightly to gentle pressure, similar to a ripe nectarine. If yours arrives still mostly green, leave it at room temperature for a few days; it will continue to ripen and colour up off the vine. The skin is technically edible but toughens as the fruit ripens and is usually peeled away before eating.