Queen Anne's Pocket

The apple-sized Queen Anne's Pocket Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a highly aromatic and fragrant fruit which is often described as a mixture of a ripe cantaloupe and pineapple with a slight hint of jasmine.  This heirloom is also known by the names: Plum-Granny, Dudaim, Perfume, or Pomegranate melon (or melon pomegranate).

Queen Anne's Pocket Melon has been around for hundreds of years and likely more than 1000.  Although possibly named for Queen Anne of England (1702-14), this melon is native to Persia and Carl Linnaeus attributed it to Egypt and Arabia.  It was especially favored by the Victorian ladies who would carrying them in their pockets and purses as a pomander or air freshener.  Their fruits are attractive with velvety orange rinds and striped in carmine and gold.