Here's a question for you.

Is this a cantaloupe or a musk melon?

There is technically a difference, although we tend to use the names interchangeably.

What we call a cantaloupe here in the United States is this light beige fruit with this net like appearance on the skin.

When you open it up, it's a soft orange.

And if you pull it from your backyard garden, it is one of the great joys of late summer.

I'm Charity Nebbe.

On this episode of Iowa Ingredient, we'll travel to scenic Strawberry Point in Northeastern Iowa to see how two young farmers are growing and harvesting cantaloupe.

Then the always talented Chef Katy Meyer of Trumpet Blossom Cafe in Iowa City will join us in the studio kitchen to share some flavorful recipes using this summer time fruit.

All that and more coming up next on Iowa Ingredient.

Funding for Iowa ingredient is provided by the WT & Edna M. Dahl Trust, Chef Lisa LaValle of Trellis Cafe and the River Center, and Chef Michael Lavalle of the Des Moines Embassy Club.

For more than 100 years, the Des Moines Embassy Club has provided a place to dine, celebrate, and do business.

Located in downtown Des Moines and in West Des Moines.

And Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation.

[MUSIC PLAYING] I want to just put that on the side.

Just add some more cantaloupe flavor.

Chef Katy, you've done it again.

Thank you so much.

It's hard to miss the aroma of a fully ripe cantaloupe.

It's sweet and a little bit musky.

Most varieties of muskmelon, including cantaloupe, have that musky smell, hence, their names.

At peak ripeness, it has a sweet juicy flavor that is unlike anything else.

And whether you grow your own, buy at a farm market, or the grocery store, a sweet juicy cantaloupe is the perfect summertime treat.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Farming is a tough job.

There's no denying that.

It's hot, labor intensive, and you never know what the weather will hold.

But starting out as a new farmer presents a whole different set of challenges.

If there's one thing we've learned at Iowa Ingredient, it's that there's no shortage of young, ambitious, and tenacious farmers out there.

People who believe in growing local fresh food.

Just outside of Strawberry Point in Northeastern Iowa, you'll meet two farmers doing just that.

I remember them saying you don't just do this like on a whim.

And we were kind of like, well, that's kind of what we're going to do.

Yeah, we did.

So this was all like based on what Jake remembered from his mom's garden, experimenting.

McGrail family farm is young.

We've been doing this about two years farm operation.

This is always really grass too.

We raise grass fed Angus beef, produce vegetables, maple syrup.

We raised some chickens and some pigs.

We do a little bit of a lot of different things.

The idea was like let's learn to grow our own food.

Got those raised beds behind this water tank.

Those are strawberries.

Because we had been pretty conscious about the food choices we were making when we didn't live on a farm.

Yeah, they're pretty.

And so we thought let's practice making that happen ourselves and then see if we can sell it.

But then it kept growing.

It kept building into social media, into a website, into several farmer's markets.

So it's just grown from there.

Jake and Laura grow a wide variety of foods in their garden, from tomatoes and beans, to sunflowers and cantaloupe.

Like the same kind of fruit as you would expect.

And then this end here is another variety.

These are more of like what you'd see in the grocery store.

Cantaloupe is rarely bothered by pests and disease.

So it's a good choice if you're starting out with your own garden.

One of the biggest challenges to growing cantaloupe is space.

Well, I think we planted just maybe a week or two after the last frosts.

Like I had kind of an area set up with the cardboard and had the grass mowed down nice and short.

Eventually, the vines trail off so far into the weeds that takes up twice the amount of space that you were thinking it would initially.

But I would say that, yes, they take up a lot of space, but if someone were growing them just in a typical sized front or backyard, you could probably grow quite a bit.

Yeah, it's super cool.

It's cool I think when the garden produces something big and hearty like this.

Melons need to ripen fully on the vine.

They do not ripen well after they're harvested.

There are many telltale signs that indicate when it's time to harvest.

The fruit should slip easily from the vine and the blossom end should feel soft to the touch.

If the fruit is ripe, the netting on the surface should also noticeably stand out.

They turn from this kind of a green color to like a white or yellow cream color.

And then ours also, once they started to get ripe, they'd start to develop some small cracks around the outside.

Like they're just bursting with juice.

And then you can also just smell it.

You walk over by the melon patch and like-- oh, there must be one that's ripe around here because you can just-- it's a strong aroma.

And it makes a cloud around the whole patch.

Cantaloupe really is a staple in gardens.

As Jake and Laura show, the work you put into your garden reaps many rewards.

Like it's been a lot of work.

It's been difficult at times.

Fruits of our labor.

When we get small farms like this really want to make a comeback, or compete with alternatives for food production.

I think we need to work together.

But we've had a lot of support from family and friends, and from our customers, the people that buy from us.

We get a lot of positive feedback.

And then it has us tell our story.

And then once we tell it, we remember how and why we got here.

And now, I'm here in the kitchen with Chef Katy Meyer.

Welcome back to the show.

Thank you.

It's so good to be here.

Well, it's wonderful to have you back.

And in your restaurant, and when you come do recipes on Iowa Ingredient, you are so inventive with some of the things that you put together.

What is that creative process like for when you come up with a new dish?

I really try and focus on things that are in season and available locally.

And I feel like if you look to what is coming out of the Earth at the same time, you'll just naturally come up with combinations that work.

Because nature is giving us things that should be enjoyed together.

So I really try and see what's around and then just try to keep the flavors really pure and just complementary.

Yeah, I mean, it's harder in the winter because there's not as much ground, but it's really fun this time of year.

And sometimes is this as spontaneous as finding out what's available right now, and thinking I'm going to serve this tonight?

Yeah.

I feel like that's part of the fun, is maybe there's a bunch of this one thing available right now and only for the next week.

So do your best to use it while it's here.

I feel like that's just part of the fun of the job.

Now, Iowa Ingredient works different.

We call you and we're like-- Katy, here's the specific ingredient, can you come up with a recipe?

Today, we're going to be cooking with cantaloupe, which must be a real challenge.

But what is that like to start with here's a random ingredient assigned, and now you need to come up with a couple of recipes?

It's always super fun to see what you guys throw at me.

And I'm up for anything because I just enjoy this experience so much.

Cantaloupe isn't like one of my top five.

But I'll take it.

And it's fun to work with something that I'm not used to working with it, that challenges me to be creative.

And it's also-- you find that there are basic recipes that maybe you're used to using a certain ingredient but you can use a different one in its place and come up with something just as good or even better.

Well, let's get cooking.

All right.

All right, so the cantaloupe challenge was thrown down.

What are you going to make first?

So we're going to make a cantaloupe spiced bread, that-- thanks to one of my cooks who told me, it's basically just zucchini bread, which it is.

So that's good.

It's accessible.

But a little-- a new spin.

Yes.

So it's just going to be a basic recipe, sweet bread recipe.

But first, we're going to grate the cantaloupe.

[MUSIC PLAYING] OK, I'm going to set that aside.

We're going to use that for something else in a little bit, and get all of that out from there.

All right, so we'll set that aside.

All right.

And we have our dry ingredients here.

So like I said, just a really basic sweetbread cakey recipe.

So all-purpose flour and sugar, and then here we have some baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

And then this is a nice little spice blend, cinnamon, and ginger, and then cardamom is one of my favorite spices.

And I put it in everything.

So there's some cardamom in there too, but not too much.

So those are our dry ingredients.

And then for our wet ingredients, do you have a bowl for me?

I do have a bowl for you.

Thank you.

And since we're not using an egg, or any eggs, we're using flax meal.

And it's mixed with a little water.

And then you let it sit for a little while and it thickens up.

And it's just a nice plant based binding agent.

And then we have some just regular vegetable oil, and some lime juice, and some maple.

And then this could be plant milk.

It's actually vanilla soy creamer.

It's my secret, not so secret, baking ingredients.

It's also one of the things that I just love.

And was that vanilla?

That was vanilla.

Thank you.

A little bit more vanilla.

So just mixing these ingredients, making sure that that flax is all mixed up in there.

I'm going to use my whisk.

And then we'll add the wet to the dry, and then we'll add in the cantaloupe.

And we have our oven preheated to 350.

This is going to make two little loaves of bread.

It freezes beautifully.

So I figure since you're making it, you might as well make too loaves and freeze one.

[MUSIC PLAYING] I love that this takes about a half a cantaloupe.

It does.

Because often, my family will eat half a cantaloupe and then it just sits.

The other half sits around.

All right.

So we are going to mix this all together and make sure we get all of those dry ingredients mixed in with the rest of the dough.

And it's starting to smell really good.

This is the-- and sort of the spice mixture is something I'm used to, and then put the cantaloupe in there, it's unusual.

Yeah, it is.

It definitely is.

And these are oiled really well.

We don't want anything to stick.

And these are obviously going to arise when they bake.

Here's the other one.

Thank you.

It does smells tropical.

It does, doesn't it?

Yeah.

And I love ginger and baked goods as well.

And cinnamon, I feel like you just have to put that in any kind of cookie or bread situation.

All right.

So that looks pretty evenly divided.

And then if you want to open the oven for me.

I will do that.

I will come over with these loaves.

So those are going to bake for about 45 to 60 minutes.

It just really depends on your oven.

And what you're looking for when they're done is for a toothpick inserted in the center to come out clean.

I'm sure you've heard that before.

And also, when you press the top that it springs back a little.

So yeah.

So we've got a beautiful loaf here out of the oven and cool.

Yes.

And you're going to make a little glaze for it?

Yes.

We're just going to take some cantaloupe that's cubed.

It's just the leftover that I didn't grate earlier.

And we're going to puree it.

And we do want it to be almost like-- not liquefied, but we don't want it to be chunky at all because this is basically-- This will be smooth.

Standing in for some of the liquid that you would make a powdered sugar glaze, which is exactly what we're doing.

Just have a bunch of powdered sugar here.

And then we're going to add this directly to the powdered sugar.

Pay no attention to the large amount of powdered sugar that we're using.

I'm not.

My children will wholeheartedly approve.

I could tell you about that.

And then we're going to add some lime juice.

I feel like lime and cantaloupe go really well together.

And then hopefully, this will kind of be what we want.

You go ahead.

OK. Oh, wow.

It is very tropical.

And that glaze is so bright.

You get the lime to an even.

Absolutely.

Thank you so much, Katy.

My pleasure.

All right, we've had our delicious cantaloupe bread.

Yes.

Now, we're going to make a salad.

Tell me about this.

Yeah, we are going to make a black bean and sweet potato salad that we're going to serve on top of some sliced cantaloupe.

So when you eat it, we'll mix everything together.

But first, we're just going to start by making the salad.

So some thinly sliced red onions that I'm pouring this balsamic vinegar over to just macerate them, which means that the acid will break down the onions just really slightly really quickly.

So we don't get that like super pungent raw onion taste.

But we want a of that.

So you get the great flavor, and then it's not going to stay with us for the rest of the day.

Hopefully not.

Yeah, we'll see.

And then we'll just have some black beans, and some roasted sweet potatoes.

And I'm going to put a little salt and pepper on those and stir those up.

And then we have some cherry tomatoes.

So tomatoes and melon go together really well.

They're usually in season together.

And these are just some gorgeous cherry tomatoes.

Beautiful cherry tomatoes.

You could put in as many or as few as you like, or you could definitely do just like diced heirloom tomatoes, or slice your tomatoes, whatever you like.

I'll put a little salt on those.

And then we have some really delicious herbs, some cilantro, and some basil.

And I like to use the stems on cilantro because I think I've even said this on the show before, they have a delicate flavor that's just like the leafy herb itself.

So no reason to not use them.

And then we'll do a little bit of basil.

Oh, I love basil.

All right.

So then I have a fresh lime that we're going to zest.

So I love citrus, especially with melon.

That also smells wonderful.

Yes.

OK. And then some more salt on there, and then some olive oil to bring it all together.

Give everything a good stir, lots of pretty colors in there.

Now, this looks like something you could serve immediately.

But also if you let it sit, the flavors would really meld, wouldn't they?

Yeah, definitely.

You could make this ahead of time.

You could store it in the fridge overnight.

Or you could eat it right away.

Which we'll do.

Yes.

So now, I'm going to just slice up some of this melon to put on the plate.

Thank you.

I'm just going to take the skin off here.

OK.

So then we have some nice slices.

And we don't want these to be super thick.

We want this to be delicate on the plate.

But again, nothing-- you don't have to be really precise about it.

And then we'll just fan these out like that.

And we'll put just like three grains of salt, just a touch.

One, two, three.

Done.

Oh my, gosh.

I forgot onion.

Let's get that.

So then we'll throw in-- The onions can go in at anytime.

And the longer those sit, the better it is for everything.

So it's good that we forgot them.

Exactly.

That was a plan.

Yep, always a plan.

All right.

And then I'm just going to plate it like that.

Oh, my goodness.

It's so pretty.

It looks so sophisticated.

Just dress it up a little bit.

I have to.

I have some fresh herbs.

I have to do a little like just for the camera.

There we go.

That just looks amazing.

Thank you.

Let's give it a try.

All right.

So make sure you get-- Yeah, I got to get some melon on there.

I want everything.

Oh, wow.

That works so well together.

And sweet potatoes and black beans are like best friends too.

Yep.

Oh, my goodness.

And I've never had a salad like this.

And I also-- you want to know a secret?

Yes.

I don't love cantaloupe.

But I love cantaloupe in this salad.

That's amazing.

Well, then I've succeeded.

You have.

This is so great.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

It's my pleasure.

[MUSIC PLAYING] I think it's a thing that not a lot of people make.

It's a traditional thing, but maybe hasn't always been passed down to our generation.

We talk about like pie communicates hospitality.

And I think there's something welcoming about it.

And so I think that's what we hope to represent in our program too.

And this is our kitchen.

This is where all the pie making happens.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Try Pie is a teen employment program for high school girls.

We hire students from Waterloo and Cedar Falls to make pie as a first job experience.

We kind of focus on financial literacy, job skill development.

We have a faith development component, and then a concept that we call reconciling community, just like cultural competency.

Understanding that I have gifts and you have gifts, and even though we might come from different backgrounds or experiences, those are all critical to succeeding.

Don't ever say that you have lost today.

Because you haven't.

The relationships that were critical to Try Pie started long before Try Pie was an idea.

Two churches between Waterloo and Cedar Falls did some neighborhood strengthening programming, and really built the relationships that were critical in understanding what it was that our area both needed and desired.

I mean, they were hiring and I had just gotten finished with basketball.

And I wanted something else to do after school and not just go home.

So I applied.

And we have seen a model of a teen employment program in Minneapolis.

And we thought that that model of employment, paired with these additional learning pieces, was a great tool that we can use in our community to address some of those needs that we are hearing.

The instruction is in the back seat.

[MUSIC PLAYING] I started freshman year of high school.

I like baking a little bit, but I didn't know nothing before this.

It's been a journey though.

Pie is always great.

Because I mean, there's some skills there in the kitchen and everything that way, but we have a different variety of girls here.

Some of them are immigrants and we learn from them and their journey here to America, or just from different schools.

Like I said, some girls are from CF, I really wouldn't have talked to them before if they weren't coming to Try Pie, and learning their experience and just being able to break down some of the barriers that Waterloo and CF have with each other.

I think they're just a lot of things that I love about Try Pie.

I think our team is just really fun.

It's really great to meet all the students and to see their unique gifts and strengths that they bring to our team, and to watch them connect with each other.

I really love the job piece of our program.

So I'm using a job as a tool to equip them for their futures.

As they work, they're able to recognize the gifts that they bring, and recognize those in each other, and really have a space to use those gifts that we see in them.

So yeah.

And baking is fun too.

I think pie is fun.

[MUSIC PLAYING] That's it for this week's show.

Thank you for joining us on this culinary tour across our state.

I'm Charity Nebbe, see you next time for another episode of Iowa Ingredient.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Keep in mind that circumstances are always changing.

So please take a moment to check ahead if you're planning to visit a restaurant, farm, or event featured on the show.

[Captioning provided by:] [Karasch] [800-621-5689 www.karasch.com] Funding for Iowa Ingredient is provided by the WT & Edna M. Dahl Trust, Chef Lisa LaValle of Trellis Cafe and the River Center, and Chef Michael Lavalle of the Des Moines Embassy Club.

For more than 100 years, the Des Moines Embassy Club has provided a place to dine, celebrate, and do business.

Located in downtown Des Moines and West Des Moines.

And Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation, generations of family and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.