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Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. There’s also a Crenshaw, a casaba, a Persian and numerous other members of the melon family. Yes, Virginia, Santa Claus is the name of a melon, and if you’re lucky you’ll find it at the super market, for summer time is melon time. With shipping methods bringing them from faraway places, melons are available almost year-round these days, providing culinary pleasure for melon lovers.

How sweet it would be if some genius had invented a melon tester that told us whether the melon was ripe. Thumping, smelling and shaking tell us little about the ripeness of a melon. However, there’s good news from the National Watermelon Promotion Board at the University of Delaware. Scientists have had four mechanical engineering students working on a device to test for watermelon ripeness. Cartoonist Rube Goldberg would have been proud of this contraption, which, when finished, will only be available to growers. It consists of a mallet with a metal arm to rap the melon. A microphone picks up the sound and transfers it via electric signal to a laptop computer. On watermelons tested so far, the frequency of the echo appears to correlate closely with the ripeness of the melon.

Melons are a climbing plant belonging to the Cucurbitaceous family. Cucumbers as their first cousins. Melons originated in Asia and have been a part of the Chinese diet since 1000 B.C.

The melon has been cultivated in southern Europe for centuries. Charles VIII, who reigned in France from 1483 until 1498, visited the papal estate near Rome and became acquainted with a variety of melons. When the seat of the Catholic Church was moved to Avignon, the staff brought melon plants with them. Eventually, the growing of melons spread throughout Europe. Today, melons are grown throughout the world.

Henri IV and Alexandre Dumas were both noted melon lovers. The Duc de Sully, who was chief minister to Henri, wrote extensively in his journals about the king returning from hunting forays and refreshing himself with melons. Dumas contributed to the popularity of the fruit by offering the municipal council of Cavaillon all of his published works and future writings in exchange for “a life annuity of 12 melons a year.”

Although most of us enjoy melons as a breakfast fruit or after a meal, there are many other ways to enjoy them. As an hors d’oeuvre, the melon can be seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper or ginger. Connoisseurs consider that the only acceptable seasoning is salt, and possibly pepper.

Melon is delicious when served with very thin slices of prosciutto or other dry ham. It is considered improper to serve melon with wine. However, a glass of port served separately or afterward is a pleasant accompaniment.

Melons, most especially watermelon rinds, are wonderful pickled. This is especially heartening when one opens a melon and finds it bland, unripe or tough. The pickles are delicious and not difficult to make. Honeydew melons that are not ripe enough to eat make tasty pickles and are simple to make.

Finally, there is the matter of how a melon should be eaten. In the June, 1982 edition of “Figaro”, the following advice appeared: Melon should “not with a spoon, as is usual in restaurants. The back of the spoon anesthetizes the taste buds. In this way, it loses half of its flavor. Melon should be eaten with a fork.”

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One has only to approach the produce section of local supermarkets or visit open-air fruit stands to know that melon season is in full force. The aroma is sensual and sweet and the taste of the melons even more captivating! The following melons are often found in local markets and are especially plentiful and inexpensive this time of year:

-- Cantaloupe or musk melon: Our most common melon, grown locally. It has a segmented exterior with salmon-colored flesh. Select melons that have a deep fragrance and should yield slightly to pressure at the bottom end and have no trace of stem.

-- Casaba: A large, round melon with a furrowed rind, golden yellow when ripe and with a white flesh.

-- Charentais: I have seen these melons, which originated in France, at Wynn’s Family Market. They are a four-star delight of the melon family. They have a yellowish-green skin, deep yellow flesh and are more flavorful than most other melons.

-- Crenshaw: A large melon, round at the base and tapering to a point at the stem end. This smooth, green and gold melon has salmon-colored flesh.

-- Canary: Most plentiful from July through October. Oval shaped and larger than a cantaloupe, it has a bright yellow rind and a fruity aroma when ripe.

-- Persian: About the size of a large honeydew. Persian melons have a surface netting of a cantaloupe with a dark green background color. The salmon-colored flesh as a flavor similar to a cantaloupe.

-- Santa Claus: This melon, also called the Christmas melon, has a green and yellow pebbled skin, resembling a small watermelon. The flesh is pale green with a delicate, honeydew flavor.

-- Honeydew: When ripe, honeydews have a creamy yellow smooth skin and a blossom end yields to slight pressure. They are usually oval in shape and the flesh is greenish in color, sweet and fragrant. Large honeydews are usually better then small ones.

-- Watermelon: Here in South Florida, we enjoy watermelons almost year-round. There are many ways to enjoy them, but the best is to chill the melon, slice and serve with plenty of napkins and for those who prefer it, salt.

ASK DORIS

Q: While visiting my daughter in California, I was invited to a wonderful picnic where a buffet was served. Among the food offered was the most delicious bread that the caterer called Raspberry Picnic Bread. No one there knew the recipe and I wonder if you might come up with a recipe for this delectable bread. — Terri Mangold, Estero

A: This simple recipe sounds like a real winner. If raspberries are not available, I would think any berries will do.

RASPBERRY PICNIC BREAD

10 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed and undrained

2 tablespoons raspberry jam

2 eggs

¾ cup vegetable oil

1-1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In food processor or blender, puree raspberries and jam. In small bowl, combine eggs and oil using wire whisk. Sift flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking soda into second bowl. Make a well in center of dry ingredients. Pour in egg mixture and raspberry puree. Blend well. Pour batter into greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Bake in 350 degree, preheated oven for 50 or 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove to rack and cool completely before slicing. Yields 1 loaf.

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Doris Reynolds is the author of “When Peacocks Were Roasted and Mullet Was Fried” and “Let’s Talk Food.” They are available for sale in the lobby of the Naples Daily News. Also available is a DVD, “A Walk Down Memory Lane with Doris Reynolds.” For comments and questions regarding today’s column, contact Doris Reynolds at foodlvr25@aol.com.