A favorite summer fruit, cantaloupe, adds to almost any meal. What most consumers don t know is that the fruit that they usually call cantaloupe is technically a muskmelon and is one of several melons in the cantaloupe family.
Honeydew melons are also a type of cantaloupe.
Approximately 650 acres of muskmelon are grown annually in Tennessee. With proper cultural practices, yields of more than 10,000 melons per acre can be obtained. Many of the muskmelon produced in Tennessee are sold locally to retailers as well as directly to consumers. Direct consumer sales usually result in the highest returns. Marketing, however, is time consuming, and direct sales tend to move a lower volume of product.