Originally published in the Fall 2019 issue of Spoke+Blossom

Once the forbidding stomping ground of Butch Cassidy and his wild bunch, each year the tiny town of Green River, Utah, transforms into a juicy melon wonderland you can really sink your teeth into.

No one understands this phenomenon better than third-generation melon farmer Greg Vetere. His grandparents immigrated to the United States from Italy and began raising melons on their small Green River farm in 1918. Some were shipped by train as far as New York. Others were delivered by his grandfather via days of rugged horse and buggy travel to mining towns 80 miles away.

In 1958, Greg’s father, Jay, returned from the service and began growing melons under what is now known as Vetere Melons. “The dollar isn’t worth anything if you sell bad melons” was one of his dad’s mottos.

“Today, we still carry on the family tradition — sell quality, only the best, and word of mouth will do the rest,” says Greg.

So what exactly is Green River’s “secret” for its world-famous melons?

“We believe a little bit of alkali, warmer nights, sandy soil and a lot of TLC make for a sweeter melon,” says Greg. “Keeping the fields clean and free of weeds is vital, because they will pull flavor from the melon. The final and maybe most important step is picking the melon vine ripe for full sugar content.”

Vetere Melons farms 500 acres, 100 of which are in melons. In a good year, this labor-intensive crop produces 10-15 tons of melon per acre! From mid-July through October, the majority of Vetere Melons are available at northern Utah markets and at stands in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. Visit one of the two Green River stands (look for the huge watermelon painted propane tanks) for a personal experience.

Mouth-watering samples and outstanding customer service help you select from the wide variety of melons the Veteres raise — watermelon (seeded and seedless), cantaloupe, crenshaw, honeydew, israelis, Canary, green-meat cantaloupe, casaba and winter-queen watermelon.

Caravans of foreign travelers frequently purchase Vetere melons and rave about them, leading to several write-ups in international publications.

Greg says he couldn’t have done it without his wife, Rita, and their three grown daughters who still come home to help out during planting and harvest time.

“My daughters have worked beside me since the day they could walk and can outwork any man,” says Greg. “It’s sad to think the Vetere Melon legacy could end, but I want them to have a life.”

Just 100 miles west on I-70, mark your calendars for this year’s annual Green River Melon Days, September 20-21. Truckloads of these juicy delights are cut up and given away as part of the celebration. Fun for the whole family includes a parade, concert, softball and golf tournaments, melon 5K walk/run, melon carving, square dancing, crowning the melon queen, watermelon eating and seed spitting contests, water (melon) skiing and many more activities.

“The thing that keeps me growing melons is not the hard work,” says Greg. “It’s having generations of people come back telling us, ‘That was the best melon I have ever eaten!’ and ‘Thank you for what you’re doing.’”

A Family Affair: Green River Melon Mania