Cantaloupe melon with firm, orange, moderately sweet flesh. In 2016, global production of melons, including cantaloupes, was 31.2 million tonnes, with China accounting for 51% of the world total (15.9 million tonnes). Other significant countries growing cantaloupe were Turkey, Iran, Egypt, and India, with each producing 1 to 1.9 million tonnes. Cantaloupe is normally eaten as a fresh fruit, as a salad, or as a dessert with ice cream or custard. Melon pieces wrapped in prosciutto are a familiar antipasto. The seeds are edible and may be dried for use as a snack. Because the surface of a cantaloupe can contain
First Fruits offered. There is a special ceremony at the end of the Divine Liturgy at which the priest blesses the first fruits, asking "...that the Lord may bless them, that they may be to us unto rejoicing, and that He may accept a gift of these fruits unto the cleansing of our sins..." As the harvest season progresses, the first fruits of each species can be brought to the church to be blessed, using a similar format, but a different prayer: "...that the Lord may receive our gift unto His eternal treasury and grant us an abundance of earthly goods..." In