What We Grow

Since 1933, Pappas Family Farms has been dedicated to growing and delivering safe, high quality produce with a commitment to customer service. With ranches in Mendota, California, the “Cantaloupe Capital of the World,” Pappas Family Farms is your season long supply of fresh delicious produce.

Watermelon

Availability

Our watermelons are available under the Sweet Treat label from May through October.

Selecting the Perfect Watermelon

Watermelons should be firm, evenly shaped and have a deep-pitched tone when slapped with an open palm. One of the easiest methods is to simply turn the melon over. If the underside is yellow, and the rind overall has a healthy sheen, the melon is most likely ripe. Watermelons do not ripen any further once they are cut from the vine.

Seedless Watermelons are very low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. They're also a good source of Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

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Sweet Corn

Availability

Our sweet corn is available from May through October, with the peak in June and July.

Selecting the Perfect Sweet Corn

Sweet corn tastes great boiled, microwaved, roasted, and best of all, grilled! Look for corn that has full, evenly formed and filled ears, with straight rows of kernels. Husks should be fresh and bright green, with the silk ends free of decay or worm damage. Test the quality by pulling back the husk and poking at the kernels with your fingernail. If the juice is slightly cloudy then you have a winner! If the juice is non-existent, the corn is old.

White Corn is low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol and sodium. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Thiamin, Folate, Magnesium, and Phosphorus.

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Cantaloupe

Availability

Our cantaloupes are available from June through October, with the peak in July.

Selecting the Perfect Cantaloupe

Cantaloupes are great in salads, fruit platters or wrapped in prosciutto. Quality cantaloupes will have large webbing or netting on the skin and yellow-to-orange coloring. Seek a fresh cantaloupe aroma near the stem end (if it is not too cold) and look for a well-rounded cavity. Some cantaloupe will have a decidedly bleached side from resting on the soil – don’t worry, as this does not affect quality.

Cantaloupes are low in saturated fat and sodium, and very low in cholesterol. They are a good source of dietary fiber, Niacin, Vitamin B6 and Folate, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Potassium.

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Honeydew

Availability

Our honeydews are available from June through October.

Selecting the Perfect Honeydew

Honeydew melons will turn a creamy yellow color, and the skin will have a slightly waxy feel when ripe. They will be firm with a small amount of softness at the stem, and will be fairly large – those weighing about 5 pounds have the best flavor. Sometimes the seeds of an especially juicy melon will rattle if the melon is shaken.

Honeydew melons are low in sodium, and are also very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Honeydews are a good source of Vitamin B6, Folate and Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin C.

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