I think it is just a marketing term. A search for the exact phrase "tuscan melon" turns up no melon links.

A search for 'tuscan-style cantaloupe' turned up the best information. See the business item below, and here's something from Ducinea: http://www.dulcinea.com/can.php and look under Product Information.

I'm not sure whether or not this is genetically engineered. The Syngenta link has pages that mention biotechnology, but I didn't see anything specific.

Here is a link that might be useful: Business Press Release

I am pretty familiar with Italian varieties and I have never heard of a 'tuscan' melon.

However, there are lots of Italian melons that taste mighty good. Most of them are OP, although there are a few hybrids and American varieties used in Italy.

I have photos of half a dozen Italian varieties up on my web site.

Bill McKay in E. Massachusetts

Here is a link that might be useful: Italian Melons

The Dulcinea Ranch in California grows this melon you are asking about. Check out their website at www.dulcinea.com.

I bought their melon at Von's, a local chain of supermarkets that is open to trying some different things like the gourmet markets. They have one section with these new Tuscan style melons. They are a hybrid, and smells like a cross between the Charentais melon and western style melon like Hale's Best. The aroma is moderate, and the taste is good. But, no way was it as sweet as the Ambrosias, Charentais, and Galias that I grow. Any my local climate is a good 10 degrees cooler than where the Dulcinea ranch is located in the valley in north LA County near Magic Mountain. So, I was a bit disappointed I shelled out $2 for this one melon. It actually costs $3 but I have a Von's Club card. The regular melons (Hales Best) in our store are half the price and sweeter.

It is a beautiful melon, though. None of the melons had "slipped", like most of the french melons. Despite it being a hybrid, I couldn't resist but to take about 6 seeds and plant on hill of it. We have the warmest months coming up, so we'll see how this does. Right now though, I'd say I personally am not too crazy about this melon. Of the 30 varieties of melons (excluding the watermelons) I've tried, I'd place it way behind the Ambrosia, Galia, Passport, Vanilla Ice (last three are galia types), Butterscotch Sweetie, French Charentais, Vedrantais, Jenny Lind, Sprite, Sunrise Japanese, and several others.

We bought some of these in early July in a Spokane supermarket here as well and they were called Tuscan Melon ...they had a very nice flavor and were so juicey. I've been looking for info on-line and no luck.

Vera

Bill - it seems Ambrosia is the melon by which you judge all melons. :)

Trying hard not to picture you standing in a melon bed waving pom poms. Give me an...A! Give me an...M!...

Dang...I pictured it! Going to rinse my eyes out with lye. ;)

These melons are grown in different places, not just near Magic Mountain Amusement Park, north of Los Angeles. A produce manager said the batch in the store in early April was from Central America. It was actually a lot sweeter than the melon I bought last year. Somewhere in my web browsing, I found this actually is named the Red Moon hybrid. It makes me wonder if it's a renamed variety. Oh well, at $3 or $4 each, it's still not as good as other melons costing less.

They could be the same, but I couldn't find anything with Google that said that Red Moon and Tuscan style were the same.

mistercross,

Sorry I didn't repond to your question earlier. But I made a mistake in the Red Moon discussions. That variety is actually the one used for "The Perfect Melon", another high priced hybrid melon of French and Western muskmelon descent. It sells for about $3-4 each when in season, and in my opinion rivals Tuscan. PM showed up at Trader Joes and many of the upscale markets. Fortunately for me, some of the overstock was purchased by the local fruit stand, and he sold them for $1.50 each. This is just my opinion, but right now, California/Arizona grown western melons are just as good as those high priced types. It's especially true in a blind taste test with people who don't know which melons are which. And they sell for $1.00 each or even less in August.

Part of the issue is the mystique that you get what you pay for. And the Tuscan melon is especially pretty to look at with their green ridges. But those green ridges mean the melon was picked not at its ripest. And when it arrives at the store with yellow ridges, it looks like many muskmelons at market, except for the ridges which are typical in the Athena and Hales Best varieties. I recall one taste test Organic Gardening magazine did on melons about 15 years ago. The hands down winner was (reign are you there?) Ambrosia. But some now discontinued French-American melon also did well.

So, I doubt Dulcinea will reveal the name of the Italian hybrid that this melon is. But for me, so what? There are so many better melons out there if you grown them yourself, or in the peak melon season.

Just a follow-up to the thread....
I saved some of these seed and sowed one to see what would happen and now I have a plant...I know I'll never get any melons, but at least I know I can have a good go next year :)
Wish I had a true name for it now though!

Vera

LOL! Here's a pic of that "Tuscan" Melon I started....
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Vera

This is not a marketing scheme. I spent the 3 months in Tuscany last summer and this sweet yellow crisp melon akin in appearance and taste to the American Canalope is served as an after dinner dessert. It is awesome in taste and bouquet. Try it!!! I have never bought one yet that was not sweet and delicious.

Want to talk honeydew? Ive been scammed many times on that one in which it went immediately into the trash...

It's now the following year and I did start some of these "Tuscan Melons". Here is the most mature fruit so far and I have counted about 9-10 more smaller/younger fruits on 2 plants. I also posted to the veg forum looking for some help. I don't have the slightest clue what I'm doing or when to harvest, etc.
Re-reading this thread it was mentioned that the green strip was an indication that they were not mature enough...I believe we bought them without the green stripes. All I know is that they were very good and not crisp a bit....There isn't a green strip and there never was on my melon now (pic to follow), does that mean we are talking about two different melons or are they still to come (ridges darken) and then turn color again?
This pic was taken this morning...August 12th:

Thanks,

Vera

PS. Can someone please explain the differences between catalope, muskmelon, Honeydew, ect.?

Can someone please explain the differences between catalope, muskmelon, Honeydew, ect.?

You might enjoy reading Amy Goldman's book, "melons FOR THE PASSIONATE GROWER." Her melons are grown in NY's Hudson Valley, Duchess County (zone 5 or 6). The library might have a copy.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1579652131/sr=1-2/qid=1155435314/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-3151636-1138305?ie=UTF8&s=books

Thanks :D
Ok on a closer look at my melon the green lines do show up in a different light a little darker than what the picture shows. I guess I wait until they turn before picking, right? I wonder how long it would take to de-hybridize...hmmm :)

Vera

Just a follow-up:

The plants produced 5 melons this season, with only 1 mature enough for picking on Sept. 20th... which was the day following our first light frost. This one had a good sweet flavor and in my opinion could have been sweeter given another 2 weeks on the vine...it was very simular looking to the store bought in appearance. The other 4 melons were about 10 days behind and were smaller. Their appearance was darker green from the start and even though the color between the netting had already turned beige/tan they were not even close to mature ...these 4 went into the compost pile. There were some melons just beginning to form after the last 4 but I snipped them off hoping it would hurry the 4 along, but there still wasn't enough time. I've saved seed from #1 and can't wait to see what they bring me next year!
I started them on May 5th and transplanted them to the ground on May 15th. I'm going to try starting them 3 weeks earlier then tranplanting them into deeper pots before finally putting them out in the garden May 15th.

Vera

Mikes melons calls them Italian Cantaloupe. They are small to me which is rather sweet but I taste no difference minus 1-2 degrees of increased sweetness lol.

http://transparency.mikesmelons.com/9.html

I pick and sell melons at farmers markets, another family member grows them. (Pacific Northwest.) We've had Tuscan melons for as long as I've been doing it (15 years.) I have no idea as to the origin. There are different varieties, but they all have netting, are oval rather than round, and have the indented stripes. They yellow under the netting when ripe, and the stripes stay greenish-yellow. If the stripes are orange-y it's overripe. A good ripe Tuscan has a firm-ish but luscious texture -- won't be crisp. It has a classic "cantaloupe" flavor.