When local melon is in season, having a melon side salad with any grilled meal is a bonus. This recipe pairs melon with mint and feta cheese. The sweet taste of the melon is a good match for the salty cheese and peppery arugula. Use a melon baller to shape the melon pieces or you can cube them.

When it comes to prepping melon, always rinse the outside of it before slicing into it. If you don't, you can potentially cross-contaminate. Melons are grown close to the ground, so when you cut through an unwashed one, anything that was on the rind from the soil or from human contact can get on the knife and transfer to the melon flesh. Wash melons under running water before you slice them. Use a vegetable brush especially for netted melons, such as cantaloupe, to give it a good scrub.

Once you cut through it, many sources recommend washing the knife again before you finish cutting up the melon.