Have You Tried...Pepino Melon?

The other day, I picked up 2 Pepino melons at the grocery store. They are small, dense fruits about the size of my palm. Waxy skin, and really no fragrance. I was intrigued, and even more intrigued when the sign on the wall with their price billed them as tasting like "a cross between a banana and a pear." I was expecting something sweet. What I got was something closer tasting to watermelon rind. I didn't find it tasty at all!

I almost threw away the 2nd melon - but something told me the melon I had was under ripe. So, I put the melon aside and let it sit in the fruit bowl for a few days, and then tried it again. This evening, I had a small salad and tried the melon again. This time, though - I was pleasantly surprised that it tasted like a cross between a cucumber and maybe an unsweet cantaloupe. The skin ( though billed as edible ) I found to be waxy and not pleasant at all. I cut the flesh off the skin and ate it that way.
I could see it cut up into a fruit salad as a less sweet note, and possibly on a salad like you would use a cucumber.

It definitely is an odd fruit. my son saw it and promptly dubbed it a "dragon's egg."

Will I buy it again? Perhaps. I thought the ones I bought were ripe - they were definitely NOT ripe. Next time I will put them in a paper bag with a banana to hasten ripening.

Trying new fruits and vegetables is part of the adventure of Clean Eating. Reaching beyond your comfort zone of apples, bananas and oranges. Pick up an unfamiliar fruit or vegetable, and give it a whirl. You will never know until you try!