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FoodFood InformationFruitMelons
Watermelons originated in Africa at least four thousand years ago. Theyare edible gourds and are botanically in the same family as squash, cucumber,and cantaloupe.
In the United States, Florida, Texas, and California are the top producingareas, and most of the other southern states have substantial crops. Theyare even grown as far north as Delaware. American grown watermelon are availablefrom April to November. When American watermelons are out of season, weimport them from Mexico and Central America.
There are many varieties of watermelon and they come in assorted sizes,shapes, and skin colors. The flesh can either be red or yellow, but 99 percentof the watermelon sold in the United States are of the red fleshed varieties.They range in size from about as small as a honeydew (these are called IceBox watermelons) to exceeding fifty pounds. Some watermelons grown to competein contests reach weights of two hundred pounds. They are either oval orround. In skin color, some are a solid dark green, some are a solid palegreen. Many varieties are variegated with alternating dark and pale greenstripes. The size, shape, and skin color have no bearing on the quality,flavor, and ripeness of a watermelon.
The top-selling varieties include the pale green, oval Charleston Grays,the dark green, round Black Diamonds and Peacocks; and the Sugar Sweetsand Klondikes, which are striped, oval melons. The Sugar Babies are small,round, dark green Ice Box melons. Equally good flavor and texture can befound in all varieties.
Seedless watermelons have been produced by experiments in the agriculturalschools, but attempts to grow them on a commercial scale have not yet beenfruitful. The seedless watermelons that I have sampled were not nearly assweet as watermelons with seeds. The few yellow fleshed watermelons I havetried have also lacked flavor. There is a common but inaccurate belief thatthe blacker the seeds, the more mature and flavorful the watermelon. However,the color of the seed is determined by the variety, not the maturity, ofthe melon. Some of our most flavorful varieties have light-colored seeds.
Prior to cutting open the watermelon, it is very difficult, if not impossible,to judge its stage of maturity. Professional produce buyers will never buya load of watermelon without cutting several random samples. These melonsdo ripen after being severed from the vine. The length of time that haselapsed since harvesting can be determined by the condition of the pigtailstem. When you purchase a watermelon, if the stem is fresh and green, themelon is probably too immature to cut and needs a few more days of ripening.After a few days the stem will shrink and discolor but will still be attachedto the watermelon. This is a sign that the watermelon has reached the desiredmaturity. After another few days, the pigtail stem will part from the watermelon.A tail less watermelon may be overripe.
Thumping a watermelon to check its ripeness is an exercise in futility.The only foolproof way to judge the ripeness and the texture of a watermelonis to cut it open. Retail markets sell cut watermelons by quarters and halves.Purchasing a whole uncut watermelon is like buying a pig in a poke. Alwaysbuy a quarter or a half and check it out for color. Even if a whole watermelonis priced lower than two halves, it is wiser and safer to buy the cut melon.
The perfect watermelon will have a firm, dark red flesh. If the flesh ispale and pink, it isn't quite ripe and will lack sweetness. If the fleshis soft or shattered, the melon is overripe and will have a poor flavorand texture. Even in a perfect watermelon, the blossom-end half is alwaysslightly riper and sweeter than the stem-end half.
Even though watermelons are now available year-round, they seem to tastebetter when the mercury is in the eighties or nineties. Unlike other melonsand most fruits, which lose some flavor when served chilled, ice-cold watermelonis at its flavor best.
WHEN TO BUY: At peak June through August
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Never purchase a whole, uncut watermelon if it can beavoided; flesh should be dark red and firm
HOW TO STORE: Refrigerate cut fruit immediately; store uncut fruit at roomtemperature
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