“The Melon” is Amy Goldman’s fifth book, and as with her other titles, it’s a visual stunner and a revelation. It represents nine years of cultivating, studying, tasting and having Victor Schrager on hand to photograph 125 kinds of melons at her farm in Rhinebeck in the Hudson Valley. Who knew there was a Khandalak from Central Asia striped red, green and cream; a heavily seeded Pocket Melon so named for its diminutive size; or 40 varieties of watermelon, including the Georgia Rattlesnake? The book gives history, cultivation, selection in the market (including which varieties continue to ripen off the vine), and 20 recipes.
“The Melon” by Amy Goldman, photographs by Victor Schrager (City Point Press, $50).
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