All About: Watermelon

Varieties Handling Watermelon Tips Yield Substitution Nutrition

When you think of a watermelon harvest, does Egypt come to mind? Well it should, because that's where the first recorded watermelon harvest took place. Egyptian hieroglyphics depicting this scene date back more than 5,000 years.

Merchant ships carried watermelon along the Mediterranean Sea. By the tenth century they found their way to China, and around the thirteenth century they made their appearance in Europe. There is still some debate about when they showed up in America. Some say the European colonists brought them, while others say they arrived with African slaves. There is recorded evidence that watermelons were grown in Massachusetts in 1629, and that Native Americans cultivated them in Florida as early as 1664. Today, China is the world's leading producer of watermelon, followed by Turkey, Iran, and the U.S.

The watermelon is a member of the cucumber family, and it varies in both size and shape. There are melons the size of a large orange, but others become giants that look like small submarines and weigh hundreds of pounds. In 1990, Bill Carson of Arrington, Tennessee grew a watermelon that weighed 262 pounds!

Varieties

Across the globe, there are more than 1,200 varieties of watermelon. There are about 250 to 300 varieties of watermelon grown in the U.S., with approximately 50 varieties being the most popular. These 50 are classified into these four categories:

Allsweet watermelons weigh 20-25 pounds, have red flesh, are oblong in shape, and have a dark green rind with or without stripes.

Ice Box watermelons weigh 5-15 pounds, have red or yellow flesh, are round in shape, and have a dark or light green rind.

Seedless watermelons weigh 10-25 pounds, have red or yellow flesh, are oval to round in shape, and have green rind with dark green stripes. They do have a few seeds even though they are called "seedless."

Yellow Flesh watermelons weigh 10-30 pounds, have yellow to orange flesh, are oblong to long in shape, and have a light green rind with mottled stripes.

The United States Department of Agriculture grades watermelons according to standards based upon ripeness, uniformity, shape, rind, and flesh quality. Watermelon grades are U.S. Fancy, U.S. No. 1, and U.S. No. 2.

When choosing watermelon, look for a melon that is heavy for its size and has a rind free of cuts, dents, soft spots, and bruises. For ripeness, look on the underside of the melon. There should be a creamy yellow spot from where it sat on the ground and ripened in the sun. Gently slap the side of the melon. If you hear a hollow thump, the melon is ripe.

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Handling Watermelon

Store ripe melon in the refrigerator. If it is too large, store the melon in a cool, dark place. Cut melon should be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator.

Watermelon can be made into sorbet, ice cream, beverages, cold soups, and salsas. The seeds can be baked and salted. The rind makes excellent pickles.

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Tips

• Watermelon is best served ice-cold.
• If you have a melon that is not sweet, cut it in pieces, place it in a bowl, and sprinkle with sugar. Toss and let stand in the refrigerator about 1/2 hour before serving.
• Some people sprinkle a little salt on their melon. Try it on a small bite.

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Yield

Yields vary because of the wide range of melons and sizes.

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Substitution

Frozen watermelon pieces and balls are available.

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Nutrition

Watermelon contains no fat or cholesterol. It is the best source of all fruits for lycopene. It also is a good source for vitamins A, B6, and C.

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Fruits

ApplesApricotsBananasBlueberriesCherriesCranberriesGrapesMangoesPapayaPeachesPearsPersimmonsPineapplesPomegranatesPumpkinsStrawberriesTomatoesWatermelon