Ripe and sweet cantaloupe is a great warm-weather fruit packed with nutrients, electrolytes, and fiber. However, "ripe" is the key word here; it can be hard to tell if cantaloupes and other melons are at their best before you buy them, so follow your nose to avoid bringing home a bland and disappointing fruit.

To determine if a cantaloupe is ripe, smell the blossom end, the indentation at the bottom of the fruit that is opposite of the stem. The aroma should be robust, sweet, and musky, and the blossom end should also give a little when lightly pressed with your finger.

It should be noted that even when cantaloupes are out of season, supermarkets have ways of transporting and storing the melons so that they won't be extremely underripe when you buy them. However, if your melon isn't quite at its best, leave it out on the counter for a few days to ripen some more.