History Of The Watermelon
The botanical name for the watermelon is Citrullus vulgaris, which comes from the diminutive form of citrus and refers to the shape and color of the fruit. Vulgaris means common or ordinary fruit. The flesh of the succulent fruit is over 90% water. It is native to Africa, and used as a portable source of water for desert situations and when natural water supplies were contaminated. The fruit was cultivated in Egypt and India as far back as 2500 B.C.
Different Varieties
There are more than five hundred varieties of watermelon grown worldwide. This gives consumers many choices, with a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors to choose from.
The Icebox category is called this because of the size of the melon. It ranges from five to fifteen pounds and fits easily into the refrigerator.
The Picnic category ranges weight between fifteen and may grow past fifty pounds.
We are most familiar with the vivid reddish-pink flesh dotted with black seeds, but indeed, there are white, pink, yellow and orange fleshed varieties. Both with seeds and without. Color, shape and size have little bearing on the flavor of the flesh. Seedless are truly not seedless, but do contain tiny white seeds in lesser amounts than seeded varieties.
Watermelons Are Healthy
One generous slice of watermelon (about 1/16th of a whole melon) contains large amounts of vitamin C and beta-carotene with may help protect against various forms of cancer due to their antioxidant properties. Watermelon is also high in potassium which helps regulate heart functions and normalize blood pressure. It is a goos source of fiber which maintain bowel regularity and works to prevent colon and rectal cancer. Watermelon seeds contain cucurbocitrin to aid in lowering blood pressure and improve kidney function. The sweetest melon has only half the sugar content of an apple. Yet the watermelon tastes sweeter as it has the sugar is the main taste-producing agent. 2 cups of watermelon has only 80 calories, no fat, and no cholesterol.
Choosing A Perfectly Ripe Melon
Watermelon season runs from March to October. Peak season is June to August, making them the perfect summer choice of fruit and snacks.
There are several ways to pick a properly ripened watermelon, I have always checked the stem end of the melon, looking for the sugar juice that bleeds out from that area. The skin should be dull and slightly waxy, yielding only to slight pressure. The underside where it lies on the ground will be a pale yellow color. Watermelons will continue to ripen and soften a little at room temperature, but not much. Melons picked before their prime will never develop full flavor. Chilling injury's occur if stored below 40 degrees.
When purchasing a cut melon. look for bright red flesh, mature dark brown or black seeds (unless it is a seedless variety), an abundance of white seeds means it was picked before its prime. Avoid those with white streaks, mealy pieces through the flesh or dry and separating from the seeds. Keep wrapped tightly and refrigerate.
