Vetere Melons
- Alex Cabrero
- Sep 25, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 2
(Green River) This isn’t exactly a restaurant. There’s no waiter, no seats, and no menu. Sometimes there isn’t even a single worker (honor system to leave money in a slot). However, Vetere Melons has some of the best and sweetest tasting fruit in Utah, which makes it an extremely popular place to stop during melon season.
There are a few Vetere Melon stands off the main road through town, and a handful of stands in nearby towns, as well as in some grocery stories, but the main stop is pretty much in the center of Green River. You’ll see the signs. There’s a decent chance you’ll see plenty of people and cars stopped there as well.
A Legacy of Sweetness
Green River is known for its famous melons, and Vetere Melons has been part of that proud tradition for decades. The 500-acre family farm grows cantaloupes, watermelons, honeydew, crenshaws (my favorite), and many other types of the juiciest fruit you'll ever taste. The melons are fresh from the farm after being harvested at their peak. The result is the kind of bursting flavor that keeps customers coming back year after year.
Meet the Farmers
One of the best parts about visiting Vetere Melons is the chance to meet the family behind the operation. They’re friendly, passionate about what they do, and always happy to talk about the farming process and their family’s history in the area. They’re usually working the stand and are always willing to help choose the right melon depending on what day you might want to eat it. I always get a canteloupe or two and they’ll choose one that’s ripe and another that will be ripe in a couple of days. This is their livelihood and they’re very good at knowing how to tell. They’ll even tell you how they can tell. It’s fun to hear how they figure it out. I love talking to people who are the best at whatever it is they do.
The real stars of the fruit stand are the famous Green River Watermelons. Everyone loves watermelons, right? You can get them with seeds or without, as well as different types of watermelon depending on what the family is growing. They are large, firm, and refreshingly sweet. The cantaloupe and honeydew also offer their own delightful sweetness, depending on what you like. Please try the crenshaw for my sake 🙂
When to Visit
Melon season in Green River usually goes from July to September, with the peak in August. This is when you’ll find the best selection at Vetere Melons and other melon stands in the area. I make it a point to visit Green River every year at least once during these months. The city even hosts a Melon Days Festival, usually in September, that brings thousands of visitors in.
I fully believe if you go once during the season, you’ll go again no matter how far away you live from Green River in Utah. The melons really are that good.
Vetere Melons
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