Perfect melons

Sunset, August, 2006

Meltingly soft, nectar-sweet, and juicy: Such are the melons handpicked by produce man Raymond Rainer at Starr Market in Ojai, California. "If it's ripe, I mark 'ripe' on it with a nontoxic marker. We guarantee everything 100 percent." For honeydews as good as Rainer's, follow these tips.

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* "First and foremost, pick it up and shake it. If the seeds make a nice sloshy sound, it's ripe."

* "The skin should give a little when you press it and be a little bit sticky too. The color should have gone from green to almost yellow."