Juicy, sweet, seed-spitting, watermelon eatin', a favourite summer pastime. I wish I had the space to grow watermelons. Do any of you Buds have them in your garden?
WaterMelons
Watermelon lore
In ancient Greece, when half a watermelon was thrown at Roman governor Demosthenes (384-322 B.C.) during a political debate he clapped it on his head and thanked the thrower for providing him with a helmet to wear while fighting against Philip of Macedonia.
How to choose your melon
* Firm, evenly shaped melons that feel heavy for their size
* Melons that give a deep-pitched tone when slapped with an open palm
* Creamy yellow underside
* Dark green, shiny rind
Avoid
* Melons that give a high-pitched tone or a dead, thudding sound.
* Partially white or pale green rind
* Bruises, cuts, dents, soft spots
* Excessive white streaks through the flesh
Varieties
There are more than 1,200 varieties of watermelon in the world, about 200 of which are grown in North America. Only a few varieties are grown on a large commercial scale, however. They can be classified into four general categories:
Picnic or All-Sweet
15-45 lbs. (5-20 kilograms)
red or yellow flesh
round or oblong
light to dark-green rind, with or without stripes
Ice-box
5-15 lbs. (2-5 kilograms)
red or yellow flesh
round
dark or light-green rind
Seedless
10-30 lbs. (4.5-11 kilograms)
red or yellow flesh
oval to round
light-green rind with dark-green stripes
Yellow flesh
10-30 lbs. (4.5-13.5 kilograms)
oblong to long
light-green rind with mottled stripes
yellow to bright-orange flesh
~The Hamilton Spectator~
WaterMelons
Watermelon lore
In ancient Greece, when half a watermelon was thrown at Roman governor Demosthenes (384-322 B.C.) during a political debate he clapped it on his head and thanked the thrower for providing him with a helmet to wear while fighting against Philip of Macedonia.
How to choose your melon
* Firm, evenly shaped melons that feel heavy for their size
* Melons that give a deep-pitched tone when slapped with an open palm
* Creamy yellow underside
* Dark green, shiny rind
Avoid
* Melons that give a high-pitched tone or a dead, thudding sound.
* Partially white or pale green rind
* Bruises, cuts, dents, soft spots
* Excessive white streaks through the flesh
Varieties
There are more than 1,200 varieties of watermelon in the world, about 200 of which are grown in North America. Only a few varieties are grown on a large commercial scale, however. They can be classified into four general categories:
Picnic or All-Sweet
15-45 lbs. (5-20 kilograms)
red or yellow flesh
round or oblong
light to dark-green rind, with or without stripes
Ice-box
5-15 lbs. (2-5 kilograms)
red or yellow flesh
round
dark or light-green rind
Seedless
10-30 lbs. (4.5-11 kilograms)
red or yellow flesh
oval to round
light-green rind with dark-green stripes
Yellow flesh
10-30 lbs. (4.5-13.5 kilograms)
oblong to long
light-green rind with mottled stripes
yellow to bright-orange flesh
~The Hamilton Spectator~