A Carolina Cross, it weighed in at 350.5 pounds. The heaviest watermelon to date was grown by Guinness World Record holder Chris Kent, of Sevierville, Tennessee, in 2013. WATERMELONS CAN GROW TO BE REALLY, REALLY BIG. And those white “seeds” that you still find in your seedless slices? They’re actually empty seed coats and are perfectly safe to eat. A couple of decades ago, seedless watermelons were hard to find, but today they make up around 85 percent of those sold in the U.S. THE SEEDLESS ONES ARE NOT GENETICALLY ENGINEERED.Ĭontrary to what you might have heard, seedless watermelons are the result of hybridization, a perfectly natural phenomenon that farmers can nevertheless capitalize on. Some of the more unusual varieties include the Golden Midget, whose rind turns yellow when it's ripe, and the Cream of Saskatchewan, whose flesh is cream-colored. One of the most popular varieties is the Crimson Sweet, a seeded melon with deep red, sweet flesh. To make classification a little easier, however, watermelons tend to be grouped into four main categories: seeded (or picnic), seedless, icebox (also known as mini, or personal size) and yellow/orange. They’re 92 percent water, making them a perfect refresher for those hot summer months. And, across the Middle East and China, the seeds are dried and roasted (similar to pumpkin seeds) to make for a light, easy snack. In China, the rinds are often stir-fried or stewed, while in the South, cooks like to pickle them.
#FACTS ABOUT ME IDEAS FULL#
While we tend to focus on the melon’s succulent flesh, watermelon rinds are also edible-as well as full of nutrients with surprising health benefits. Not to mention, watermelon is classified as part of a botanical family of gourds that includes other culinary vegetables like cucumber, squash, and pumpkin. But many gardeners think of them as vegetables, since they grow them in their gardens alongside other summer veggies like peas and corn. And they do grow like fruit, originating from flowers that have been pollinated by bees, and, from a botanical perspective, they're fruits because they contain seeds.
Thanks to their sweet taste, watermelons are most commonly considered a fruit. WATERMELONS ARE BOTH A FRUIT AND A VEGETABLE. Here are some tasty facts about this colorful, summertime treat. August 3 is National Watermelon Day, and throughout summer, the backyard mainstay is added to drinks and served as dessert at barbecues across the country.