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Description: Fruit (Cucumis melo L.) oval in shape (oblong or spherical) slightly depressed, very light yellow in color, almost white, with smooth or slightly rough skin. It is very sweet, given that the very hot climate of the region induces high sugar content. The 'aging' variant is green and has a slightly rough rind and has the particularity of having a long lifespan.
Region: Alentejo.
Variants: Aging melon.
Special feature: Very aromatic, sweet and tasty fruit, which some-times reaches about 4 kg. The 'aging' melon variant has a long shelf life, allowing it to be 'stored' for 3 to 4 months.
History: The Amareleja area has excellent soil and climatic characteristics for melon cultivation, given the dry and hot climate at the right time for fruit ripening. This situation led to the appearance of farmers specialized in this crop: the «melons» or «seareiros» of Amareleja. These melon trees do not own land and therefore make their melons or «harvests» on rented land, where they traditionally move, accompanied by their families. The stay in the field goes from the preparation of the land to the harvest, and everyone collaborates, with all family members doing their part in the work. The sale of the melon takes place in the melon itself, and the family only returns home after completing the sale. The family lives in shack houses, only intended for their shelter during the summer, and the «sale» is also made there. In this region the "guarda" melon is also produced, which is traditionally preserved until Christmas, using, for this purpose, a net made of buinho (wicker) that is hung from the ceiling of a pantry or cellar, cool and with little light.
Use: As a normal dessert or as a refined dessert at Christmas dinner. It is consumed as a «starter» of summer meals (accompanied by ham or paio, preferably from Barrancos) or as a disturbant due to the warmth of Alentejo afternoons. It is also consumed as an ingredient in various 'fruit salads', constituting, due to its sweetness and consistency, the raw material of choice for the manufacture of ice cream, jams and jams.
Know-how: Sowing takes place from March to May, when there is no longer a danger of frost. The land is previously fertilized with welltanned manure, which is buried by means of a crop, followed by the necessary harrowing to leave the land well scrutinized. Some seeds are thrown into the ground through each hole, and then the seedlings are thinned, leaving only one or two for each hole. Sacks are made to eliminate weeds. When the plant has already emitted the fourth leaf, it «capa» (cut) between the second and third leaf and 2 to 6 fruits are allowed to develop per plant, «capping» one leaf above the fruit. Useless shoots are pruned as they grow. The melon must be harvested in the precise state of ripeness, in order to obtain the maximum percentage of sugars and the best qualities of texture and aroma. The ripening of the fruits is recognised by the elasticity of the tissues near the stalk and the turning of the colour to white. It is harvested from June to the end of September and early October, and the melon tree often chooses the fruits one by one in the melon to satisfy special customers.
Source: Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses, Lisboa, DGDR, 2001
