Casaba melons are a round, bright yellow fruit with a slightly wrinkled skin. It is a little bit sweet with a cucumber like flavour and pale green flesh. Native to Asia Minor, casaba is grown commercially in South America and in the South-western United States, particularly California and Arizona.
This fruit gets its name from Kasaba, Turkey, whence it was imported to the United States in the late 19th century.
Melonsare low in calories and high in a few important nutrients like vitamin C and potassium. There are many varieties of melon. The most popular and common in the US are Honeydew, Cantaloupe, Casaba and Watermelon.
Melons are an excellent source of several vitamins: vitamin A, which helps maintain eye health and is an antioxidant; vitamin C, which helps strengthen immunity, heal wounds, prevent cell damage, and promote healthy teeth and gums; and vitamin B6, which helps brain function and helps convert protein to energy.
Melons also contain antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that help prevent many common health problems such as cancers, birth defects, high blood pressure, heart disease, prostate cancer, obesity, common colds and flu, colon cancer, and poor digestive systems.
Diabetic patients, who are supposed to have a low energy and low sugar diet, often complain about starving since they don’t get to eat their staple diets, which gives them the feeling of being half fed.
Casaba melons can be a good supplement for them. In spite of being sweet in taste, a thick wedge will give you very few calories, since ninety nine percent of its total weight is composed of water and roughage.
Pick a large and firm casaba melon whose rind is evenly coloured with a rich yellow colour and very little or no green. A slightly soft blossom end indicates a ripe melon.
Once they are ripe, and this is easily observed because the skin changes colour from green to a rich yellow, the fruit can be refrigerated for several days if cut.
