It’s kick-back time after a lingering sunset, and the end of a hot, hot summer’s day. Someone comes up with watermelon which had a perfect “thump.” The first bite collapses gently in your mouth … you half-drink, half-chew the ice-cold, not-too-sweet curcurbit. You LIKE it! Life is good.

Worldwide, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports  the U.S. is fourth in terms of number of melons grown each year, preceded by China, Turkey and Iran. In the U.S., Florida leads with the most melons grown, followed by California, Texas and Georgia. It is also one of the top five most popular fruits claims the National Watermelon Promotion Board in Orlando, FL.

First grown in the African tropics and Egypt, watermelons, as edible gourds, have been cultivated for at least 4,000 years. Early African tribesmen carried the melons as a sort of moisture on long hunting trips. Watermelons didn’t reach the Greeks or Romans until sometime early in the Christian era; central Asia adopted them around 1000 A.D. Early European settlers brought the melons to the New World around 1629.  Now the grow in more than half the U.S., and tend to thrive in the south. 

By 1650, there were 15,000 colonists in North America, and this figure exceeded the number of Native Americans. Only 300 Blacks were in the country at the time. They were  also introducing watermelon to the New World. With it, they introduced okra, black-eyed peas, collard greens, yams and “good luck” sesame seeds, or “bene seeds.”  

Watermelons are a member of the Cucurbita family. This watermelon family has certain common traits. Each is thin-skinned with a wall of flesh inside the skin. Next, to the center, is an area of web-held seeds. In squash, for example the skin, flesh and seed areas are eaten. With the pumpkin, the wall of flesh is eaten, the web around the seeds discarded. In the case of watermelon the flesh wall is rather infrequently used for pickling, and the web around the seeds is most prized.

Flesh can be red, white, yellow and lately, orange. Red far outsells the rest. Seeds vary. Some are speckled also white, red, brown, green and black. Though large, the watermelon is considered fragile, and it is the only produce handled by hand from the growing field to point of consumption. Bruises on watermelon cause mushiness.

        Watermelons need hot, preferably humid weather. Some short-season varieties will grow up north in cooler climates. In their most active state, they can grow 5 cubic inches a day. Most of this is the result of fluid concentration. Fruit cells reach up to 350,000 times their original size.

William Woys Weaver, author, food historian and master gardner tells the story, “… I had an overabundance of citron watermelons stored in a cool, dry place  … within days of the summer solstice, as though on cue, the melons split open to reveal a mass of seedlings resembling green spaghetti. A few of those seedlings made their way through the cracks in the rind and would have grown across the room toward a small window had I not intervened. Such is the hardy tenaciousness of the watermelon”

NUTRITION:

Watermelon is an excellent dource of potassium with a fair amount of  vitamin A and calcium.

Urology Times, in an article dated January 2002 states “watermelon is abundant in lycopene, an antioxidant which may protect against prostate cancer in men. A Harvard study of 48,000 men found that the subjects who ate the most lycopene-rich foods (fresh produce with red flesh) reduced their risk of prostate cancer by 34%.”

Serving watermelon varies. North Americans primarily consume watermelon flesh, cold as a dessert. They sometimes make pickles from the rind, and generally use the seeds only for planting. In Russia, they make a watermelon beer also cook the flesh down to become a molasses-like syrup. In Iraq, Egypt and other parts of Africa it’s used as a staple food, animal feed and a source of water. In Asia they roast the seeds for eating while the Orientals put watermelon halves down into brine barrels. The first commercially prepared watermelon product, juice, went into production on the U.S. west coast not too long ago.  DeKuyper has distributed watermelon Schnapps for some time, and pubs in Boston serve watermelon ale.

Preferably melons should range between 25 and 40 pounds. Choose a firm, symmetrical, bruise-free one, making sure it’s “heavy” for its size. Check for a yellow side where the melon has rested in the sun to ripen. The “pros” don’t thump or slap the melons for a “good ‘un,” they cut out a piece and sample it. Currently, seedless watermelons are being marketed. However, the strain hasn’t been fully developed.  

TIPS:

• Make chunks and put them into fruit salads and compotes. 
• Puree the flesh for drinks, salad dressings and sherbets.
• Watermelon and ham combine to make delicious hors d’oeuvres.
• A hollowed-out watermelon makes a natural serving dish for fruits, salads and desserts. 

WATERMELON GAZPACHO

The National Watermelon Promotion Board provides this tangy recipe:

6 cups         chopped watermelon
1 ½ cups        Golden Delicious apples    
½ cup           finely chopped onion
½ cup            chopped green pepper
1  t.              dried basil
½ t.               salt
¼ t.               coarsely ground pepper
¼ t.               chili powder
1   T.             cider vinegar

In blender or processor puree watermelon. Pour into bowl.
Stir in remaining ingredients, except apples.
Refrigerate, covered at least 1 hour to blend flavors.
Garnish with chopped apples.
Serves 4.