creative
cooking
ordinary melon No Watermelon is perfect as a summer treat, and more
CHRIS A RUSNAK
By Star Lawrence JUST AS ITS NAME suggests, watermelon is 92 percent water. It comes in red, pink, orange or yellow, some with oval black seeds (perfect for distance spitting), and some almost seedless. Watermelons can be huge pods, so;ball
size or, in one experiment, a cube.
Before you cut into a watermelon, wash the
outer skin and dry it. Once it’s cut, refrigerate
and eat it within three to four days. You can also
The first documented harvest of the
green giant was in Egypt 5,000 years ago—
with the hieroglyphics to prove it. More
than 1,200 varieties now exist, and watermelon is grown in 96 countries.
Every year, Americans down 4 billion
pounds of this popular fruit—or is it a fruit?
Watermelon is more closely related to
cucumbers and pumpkins than to apples or
bananas. So, it’s generally considered to be
both a fruit and a vegetable.
Watermelon is more than a tough skin
(which, incidentally, was used as a canteen by
early explorers). It’s low in calories and high
in vitamins, containing vitamins A, B6 and C,
plus thiamine, magnesium and potassium. It
also contains more lycopene, an antioxidant
thought to protect against some cancers, than
any other fruit or veggie.
How do you select a perfect watermelon? ;umping may be fun, but it can
bruise the fruit, which is surprisingly delicate inside that rhino skin. Look for dents
and deformities. The watermelon should
surprise you with how heavy it feels. ;en
turn it over—is there a creamy yellow spot
where it ripened on the ground? ;at’s a
sign that it’s ready to eat.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL WATERMELON PROMOTION BOARD
carve the skin or the whole watermelon like a
pumpkin for a di;erent twist. Or toast the seeds
with salt as you would pumpkin seeds.
We usually think about eating watermelon right o; the rind, but there are countless options worth trying this summer. Try
pairing watermelon with sushi, create a
breakfast lasagna (see recipe)—even try it in
sandwiches or cocktails. ;ousands of recipes, sweet and savory, circle the globe; here
are a few from the National Watermelon
Promotion Board (
www.watermelon.org). C
Star Lawrence is a health reporter based
in the Phoenix area. Her health blog is at
http://healthsass.blogspot.com.
42 ;e Costco Connection JULY 2011
The Costco Connection
You'll find not only a variety of watermelons at your local Costco, but other
melons and fresh produce for your
summer meals.
