A cantaloupe is a large round melon (actually a muskmelon) with bright orange, sweet juicy flesh. Cantaloupes are eaten as a fresh fruit or can be used for a chilled fruit soup as well as being the classic accompaniment to thin slices of Prosciutto de Parma (Italian cured ham).
California grows 75% of the nation's supply of cantaloupes. They are grown in the San Joaquin Valley with a season of June - October. They are also grown in California's southern dessert and those are harvested from April to July and again from mid October to early December.
If you'd like a substitute for cantaloupe most any other melon will work. Try one of these alternatives:
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This summer evening light meal with garden fresh tomatoes, bufala mozzarella and fresh cantaloupe wrapped with thinly sliced prosciutto.