Melon species which was once thought to be almost extinct has been reviving in Montreal which is the city where it’s the city of its origin. The Montreal melon was considered a prized item for those in the upper class of the late 1800s, has been revived thanks to local initiatives. It was cultivated historically in the vicinity of the St. Lawrence River, selling for high-end prices and being loved by the aristocratic class living in cities such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. The growth of industrialization on agricultural land resulted in its disappearance in the 1920s, and the last seeds believed to have been lost.

In 1996, the discovery of Montreal melon seeds inside the Iowa seed bank made by an investigative journalist led to efforts to resurrect the melons. It was the Blue Bonnets Gardens, an urban agriculture organization that is currently leading the revival of melons, and is growing them in a horse-racing facility within the city. An event for tasting was organized in order to let the locals taste the melons, which are described as sweet and soft. The goal of the initiative isn’t just in bringing the melon back into the lives of Montrealers as well as to provide to the community at large by giving the fruit to food banks, which will ensure that the fruit is readily available for everyone, not just those with a lot of money. The initiative highlights role of the melon in the city’s agricultural heritage and also its possible contribution to modern urban agricultural methods.

Source: Global News