A large basket of sweet cherry tomatoes from the garden. A massive melon from the farm stand. Some stale bread. Let’s mix them all together and feast.
Autumn slipped in quietly this morning, and while there was a distinct chill in the air when I first got up, we hit almost 80 by mid-afternoon and summer was back. It’s that time of year when we have most of the summer vegetables, some in great abundance, and the fall stars are starting to arrive. Yes, I found keeping winter squash this past week.
No small fruits this year
At this time of year, our farmers offer us cantaloupes of various sizes, and usually that means extra large, jumbo, or massive. We have them all at once, no long drawn out season, and when we find them, we use them because they could disappear by the next market day! Cherish them while they are in season, and this year they seemed to have loved the excess rain of early summer and intense heat of the last month, so we have lots from which to choose.
Pick the right melon
How do you choose one of these beauties? First, it should feel heavy for its size, really heavy. If you sniff the stem end, you should definitely get the aroma of melon. If not, it is probably not ripe, and will not ripen any more after picked. Pass by any with large soft spots, these are overripe and will not have the best flavor or texture.
What will we do with all this?
Just one cantaloupe the size of my head gives us a bounty, and while absolutely delicious eaten straight up, it’s a fun ingredient to play with, come up with something a little different. My granddaughter loves a really simple one-ingredient sorbet-like dessert made from freezing cubes of cantaloupe and tossing them in the food processor. Yummy! You can also puree, add a bit of white wine, and serve the adults a chilled summer soup.
Hundreds of tomatoes
My morning trek out to the garden has yielded more cherry tomatoes than we can easily consume in a day, so many of them get tucked in the freezer for use in soups and stews in the winter months. We’ve stuffed them, added them to salads and casseroles, sauteed them and tossed the on top of polenta, and we’ve used them in pasta dishes, hot and cold. Even if all you have space for is a pot on your stoop, a couple of cherry tomato plants will provide an amazing amount of fruit for a good part of the summer. Underplant with some lettuce, and you have salad in a tiny space.
Bread salads!
Stale bread? Of course we’ll use it here! No need to waste, and use a really good, sturdy bread like a sourdough. The better the bread, the better the bread salad. Bread salads have a long history, and help extend the vegetables to feed a crowd. Traditionally, panzanella is a summer salad that makes use of those bumper crops of juicy, field-ripe tomatoes, as well as bread leftover from the day before. Just let the bread cubes get really dry with just a bit of spring in the center for optimal absorption of the tomato juices. Too soft and the bread will disintegrate, not pleasant. Better to err on the side of too dry.
Just a guide
Melon and tomato seem an unlike combination, but the melon is actually less sweet than the tomatoes, so they partner remarkably well. Unusual, I know, but really tasty. I’ve used equal proportions of melon, bread cubes, and tomatoes, but you can certainly play with that depending on what you’ve got, and other vegetables can find their way to the bowl as well. Avocado chunks are delicious in this, and if you like, you can add some crumbled mozzarella, Greek feta, or goat cheese. Dress it up for compay, or just feast as is, savoring the flavors of the season.
The dressing
Ginger and lime made a lovely background dressing flavor to liven up all the ingredients, especially that melon. I’ve used good old New England apple cider vinegar here because I wanted to color of the salad to remain light in color. Traditionally, one might use a red wine vinegar. The recipe below makes more than you’ll need, but you will want it on other salads this week, promise!
After all, there’s still plenty of summer weather to keep us happily grazing on salads, isn’t there?
Cantaloupe Panzanella Salad with Ginger and Lime
The Salad:
- 2 cups cubed cantaloupe
- 2 cups stale bread cubes, good bread, maybe sourdough
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small cucumber, chopped
- A few radishes, chopped or sliced and chopped
- 4 or 5 scallions, sliced, whites and greens, or a small purple onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley or basil, or both
- Mozzarella, Feta, or goat cheese, optional
The Dressing:
- 2/3 cup fruity olive oil
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- Big blob of French mustard
- 1 garlic clove, through press
- 1 tbsp. or more of ginger grated on microplane
- Zest and juice of one lime
- Salt and pepper
Start with stale bread. Here I used a whole wheat sourdough bread I cut into cubes. Leave the cubes out all night to dry even more. They should make a crunchy noise when tossed together, but when you squeeze a cube, you should feel a slight springiness in the center. You can also put the cubes in a low oven for an hour or so, then turn it off and let them set until at the right stage.
Combine all the dressing ingredients in a (canning) jar and shake like crazy. Set aside.
Combine all the salad ingredients, season with salt and pepper, and dress as desired. I used a little more than a third of a cup of the dressing. Ideally, let this sit for a half hour so the bread can absorb all the delectable juices.
Serve atop a bed of greens with the extra dressing on the side for those who want a little more. Some flavorful cheese, and slices of avocado make this a meal.
Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts. ~ James Beard
Copyright 2025– or current year, The New Vintage Kitchen. Dorothy Grover-Read. Unattributed use of this material and photographs is strictly prohibited. Reposting and links may be used, provided that credit is given to The New Vintage Kitchen, with active link and direction to this original post.
Supporter of: Slow Food Fair Trade USA Northeast Organic Farmers Association EcoWatch Let’s Save Our Planet No Kid Hungry Hunger Free Vermont Environmental Working Group World Central KitchenSustainable America Seed Savers Exchange Global Plastics Laws
Save the Children Vermont Farm to Plate
I love a good Panzanella. A meal in a salad!
Definitely a meal in a salad, and I really love it with the avocado.
Oh, beautiful! And I bet it tastes as luscious as it looks.
Certainly delicious!
One of my favourite salads and you’ve used a great combination of flavours. Yummy!
Thank you so much, I’m definitely making this again!
This is such a beautiful summer salad. Cantaloupe and tomatoes is such an intriguing combination, and the dressing sounds so tasty and aromatic. 🙂
Thanks Ronit! It was delicious, and even the husband devoured it and he doesn’t like fruit in salad at all.
I haven’t had this in awhile. But I would take some in a minute. Please?! 🥗🥖
All dished out, and perfect right now to devour!
I’m in! 😋🍃
I wouldn’t complain about sitting down to this lovely summer salad -mmm 🍅🥒 😍
I’ll serve you up some right now Mary!
Do not think I have used rockmelon and tomatoes together in a salad but this looks hugely inviting! In Australia, for some reason fruit and salad materials are rarely combined . . must be some kind of ‘intercontinental’ thing 🙂 !
I don’t generally like fruit in my salads, and in the summer they are always tucking strawberries in with the lettuce and cukes. Not a fan.
But this works because the cherry tomatoes are the sweet/ savory element, sweeter than the melon.
Mmmmmmm. I love panzanella, and I love your addition of cantaloupe!
Thank you! It was an unexpected mixture born of abundance!
So colorful and oh, that loaf of bread!
I know! Bread!!!!!
Dorothy, Never would I ever have thought to pair cantaloupe with salad/tomato; I’ve seen it more as a stand-alone fruit. Waiting now for summer and it’s culinary delights! Spring has sprung. It won’t be long…
We both loved the unlikely combination of! Give it a try as the season progresses!
Absolutely, I’ll add it to my daily salad for sure.
This is a yummy salad, Dorothy.
Thanks Mary! It made a wonderful light supper.
Looks good!
Thank you! We loved it.
What a beautiful summer salad! I think that I’m also in Autumn denial – though the nights are getting much cooler and I can feel the beginnings of Fall in the air.
It’s happening, slowly….
My kind of salad I could eat this right now..Delicious xx
Oops! Too late! I’ll save you some the next time!
That sounds absolutely delicious Dorothy! Did you make that lovely bread? This is my kind of food.
Yes, the bread is mine as well. Once the air feels a bit crisp in the morning I start wanting to bake bread again.
Great dish
Thank you Sheree!
Pleasure
Looks delicious, Dorothy. It must have been a delight to taste all those special flavors in one recipe.
Thanks Judy, it was remarkably good!
Only thing I just can’t get into is melon well except watermelon, I love that when it is good. I have so many tomatoes and some day old French loaf so I will try this after a long day working in the bus tonight. A nice light meal before I drag myself to bed.
Sounds like a good plan to me Eunice! Rest well!
Thanks you too.
Very appealing salad with all the colors and flavors. The citrusy dressing sounds like the perfect pairing.
Thanks Jan! It was a nice combination, very refreshing!
Homemade croutons are added to many dishes in this kitchen. My mom used to heat stewed tomatoes w/ bread cubes. Something tells me my mom knew not of panzanella; most likely an invention born of necessity to use what was available.
Oh, those stewed tomatoes were my father’s favorite! I know it was a way for mom to use up stale bread, but he didn’t care, and asked for them frequently when I was growing up, and in his later years often had his stewed tomatoes for lunch.
Lovely creative panzanella salad! Looks so pretty and delicious!
Thank you! We enjoyed this one with its unique flavors.
For the first time our CSA had a muskmelon. Plan to try it tonight.
Oh, I bet it will be delicious!
This salad is full of pure melon goodness – thanks for the inspiration!
You’re very welcome! I bet where you are, you get lovely melons!
Yes, yes and yes!!!!
My kind of diverse salad that gives a burst of excitement with every bite.
And every bite is different!
This looks so good! I’ve heard of Panzanella–I really need to try making it! 🙂
It began life as so many recipes have, a way to use up stale bread. But, boy this is delicious!