Happy Boy Produce

Piel de Sapo

    Piel de Sapo Inside and Outside

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THE PERFECT PICK

Look for melons heavy for their size, with more yellow shining through their green speckles. Ripe melons will not smell or be soft.

 

A TRUE KEEPER

Often called Christmas melons because they can last for several weeks, one year we discovered these hearty melons really can, given the right circumstances, last until Christmas. Or at least Thanksgiving. In late november, our farm owner Greg went out to a field he thought had been tilled - which returns the nutrients to the soil for next season's plantings - only to discover a crop of Piel de Sapos, happily ripening in the november sunshine.

Piel de Sapo

The Frog Prince of Melons

Posted by Tent

Piel de Sapos are one of the most widely grown melon cultivars in Spain. Their name translates as "Toad Skin", which is quite fitting nomenclature upon first glance: football shaped, Piel de Sapos have slightly ridged skin with a bright green-to-yellow gradient "undercoat" and darker green speckles on top. They certainly stand out visually among our cream-colored melons, and their super sweet flavor and absolutely unique texture are on par with their notable visual appearance.

Cut into a Piel de Sapo, and you are in for a refreshing treat. Intensely sweet and juicy, their white flesh has an amazing texture that is rich but with an element of crispness to it. The result is a smooth sweetness finishing with a light - but satisfying - crunch. This is by far our sweetest melon - scientifically speaking, it is 14% sugar - but I personally think its' this almost indescribable texture that makes them an all-around favorite.

Piel de Sapos - or "frogs" as we have lovingly nicknamed them -  are also unique in that they are the only of our melons that gives off little to no scent - even when ripe. This phenomena is due to their thick outer skin and rind, which also lends to their long shelf-life and makes them excellent traveling companions on bumpy road trips or backpacking excursions.

Choose hard melons based on their weight and color. The heavier they are, for their size, the more sweet juice they contain, and more yellow shining through the green also indicates ripeness. This can be hard to gauge, so I often tell customers to look at a few melons and squint - the one that "pops" the most when blurred will have the most yellow in its undercoat.

Storage

Piel de Sapos are some of our best keepers, and can last for weeks on the shelf. Put them into the fridge the night before you eat one if you are looking for a absolutely refreshing, chilled treat.

Recipes & Pairings

    0 Total Recipes

These melons are surprisingly diverse and can be paired with many other foods, like smoked meats or light, crumbly cheeses. They also make excellent agua fresca.