In Australia, rockmelons are in season from November to March, with the sweetest and juiciest fruit available during the summer months.
Choose a rockmelon that feels heavy for its size and has a pronounced, sweet, musky aroma at the stem end. Look for a well-defined raised netting pattern over a golden-beige background.
Rockmelon gets its European name "cantaloupe" from Cantalupo, a papal village near Rome, where melon seeds brought from Armenia were first grown in Europe. Ancient Egyptians and Romans are believed to have valued melons for their refreshing and cooling qualities during hot summers.