Six Refreshing New Ways to Use Honeydew Melon
Harvesting Sea Salt on the Maltese Island of Gozo
Everyone probably knows that rock salt is extracted in a mine. But have you ever wondered how sea salt is made? During my recent trip to Malta, I got a chance to see its place of production.
On the northern coast of the Maltese island of Gozo, mounds of snow-white salt sparkle under the summer sun in salt evaporation pans. About 300 of these pans cover a section of Gozo’s northern coast, called the Xwejni Salt Pans. It’s believed that such pans have existed here since Roman times.
Salt, a life-sustaining mineral and natural preservative, has held immense value throughout history. In Roman times and the Middle Ages, it was so precious that it was a form of currency. In the Maltese culture, the art of salt harvesting and processing from seawater using traditional methods has been a cherished family tradition passed down through generations.
For centuries, these local families and their salt pans have not only met the demand for salt but have also provided employment and business opportunities to many locals. This traditional method of salt collection stands out as a sustainable method, requiring minimal energy and resources.
Salt from Xwejni is harvested once a week, roughly between the summer months of mid-May up till the beginning of September, if the weather permits. The weather plays a crucial part in every single harvest, hot, sunny days are the perfect weather for the salt harvesting process. Meanwhile, stormy and rainy days disrupt the salt process and no salt is collected. After every harvest, each salt pan is manually and individually filled with water through the use of a motor pump from the big pools to the small pans, then they are left to dry for about 7 days and the salt crystals start to form. Due to the water being already highly concentrated in the big pools, the salt process happens much quicker resulting in a fresh collection every week.
Unfortunately, sea salt production has already been heavily industrialized around the world. The private salt pans in Malta, eagerly photographed by travelers, are rather a tourist attraction and a tradition maintained from generation to generation. Nevertheless, it is one of the most interesting views we have ever seen in this country.
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Honeydew melons don't get the respect they deserve. We tend to relegate them to fruit salads, and even there, they're usually the least popular item. (I know I'm not the only one who's picked around those sad sherbet-hued cubes to get at the precious strawberries hiding among them.) The problem is, when you experience honeydew melon only in precut, premade fruit salad form, you're eating it out of season as likely as not, when it's liable to be bland and a bit slimy. But now's a good time of year to find sweet, plump fresh melons, practically bursting with juice and flavor. Ripe honeydew is also a delicious snacks solo, but they're also suitable in a variety of cold dishes—not to mention drinks,due to their high water content. A jazzed-up version of the traditional dish of honeydew melon and ham; a refreshing salad of honeydew, lychee, and basil; an eye-opening breakfast smoothie with cooling yogurt and mint—it's time to bring melon out from the sidelines and give it a chance to come alive. Here some inspiration to add honeydew into your life.
COOK
PRESERVE
STORE
Whole honeydew should be left on the countertop to ripen. Once you can smell the sweetness of the honeydew from the bottom and the stem gives way when you press on it, the honeydew should be refrigerated to extend its shelf life by a couple more days.
Once it is ripe or cut, honeydew should be stored in the fridge. Slice honeydew in wedges or bite-size chunks and freeze it in a sealed airtight container. Once defrosted, cantaloupe must be stored in the fridge and consumed within 24 hours.