Watermelons: a cool and surprising treat

I think of watermelon as a late summer food, something to be eaten when it’s so hot even I begin to wilt. 

But for some reason watermelon is appearing at grocery stores and on the blogs of my teen daughter’s friends. 

Although some people do grow melons around here, with varying degrees of success, melons are not one of the signature crops of New England and New York state. Really juicy melons seem to come from really hot places; the top watermelon-growing states are Florida, Texas, California, Georgia and Arizona, according to the National Watermelon Promotion Board website. This website is, as one might imagine, just loaded with interesting watermelon facts. 

I didn’t know,  for example, that, “The underside of the watermelon should have a creamy yellow spot from where it sat on the ground and ripened in the sun.”

I was also surprised to learn that watermelon skins are so tender that the fruit has to be handpicked. And in case you were wondering whether watermelon is a fruit or a vegetable — were you? I wasn’t, but apparently there was some debate — it turns out that watermelon is generally considered a fruit, but it can also be used as a vegetable. The Watermelon Promotion Board cites a Wikipedia article as saying that, “In places like China, the watermelon is stir-fried, stewed and often pickled. In this case, the watermelon is being used as a vegetable. Pickled watermelon rind is also widespread in Russia.”

Who knew? And who knew that watermelon comes from southern Africa originally? I didn’t; I tend to think of watermelon as a very American food. But then I think of pizza as a very American food, so that’s my level of cultural chauvinism.

Nutritionally, watermelon also has some surprises. Even the Watermelon Promotion Board notes that people tend to think of this fruit as having little to offer besides sugar, fiber and water (which are all important things, by the way). Each watermelon is about 92 percent water, which is why, I guess, we love them so much during the hottest days of summer, when we hover on the edge of dehydration. 

It’s recently been discovered that watermelons also have a lot of lycopene, which is a cancer-fighting antioxidant; and is a good source of vitamins A, B and C.  They strengthen your eyes and your heart and help ward off colds.

Although the Watermelon Promotion Board provides lots and lots of free cooking ideas, I tend to think of watermelon as something best eaten raw. I do love lemonade, though, and this recipe (from the Watermelon Promotion Board!) sounded yummy.

Watermelon Raspberry 

Lemonade

Adapted fromWatermelon Promotion Board

6 cups watermelon cubes (seeds removed), 1/4 cup raspberries, 1 cup water, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Melt the sugar into the cup of boiling water, creating a low-sugar simple syrup. If you like your lemonade very sweet, you can use a more classic simple syrup proportion, which would be a cup of sugar in a cup of water.

Put the watermelon, raspberries and water in your blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and into a pitcher. Stir in your simple sugar and lemon and lime juices. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.