Watermelon facts and fiction

There is nothing better on a hot summer day than watermelon. My father would place it on the picnic table in the back yard and begin cutting it with the precision of a Samurai Warrior.

Its name says it all. The watermelon is 92 percent water. It is big, it is green, it is messy — and it is the absolute best summertime treat.

My sisters and I would have a seed spitting contest to see who could spit the black seed over the backyard fence. We were careful not to swallow the seeds because Uncle Matt told us that if we swallowed a seed, it would grow a watermelon in our belly. We believed it to be true because Aunt April had swallowed one and we could see the huge bulge in her stomach. I think that is the real reason they developed seedless watermelons.

By the way, those white “seeds” in a seedless watermelon are empty seed coats, and not seeds at all, and are perfectly safe to eat.

Watermelons are like tomatoes in that they are considered a fruit but are classified as a vegetable. The scientific explanation scientists give for this is confusing and bewildering. It is all about triploids and diploids and how seeds germinate. Frankly, I didn’t understand it at all. The important thing is that I can eat one slice of watermelon and declare that I have had my serving of fruit and vegetable for the day.

Watermelons date back 5000 years ago to southern Africa. Watermelon seeds have been discovered in Egyptian tombs that were 4000 years old. Watermelons are mentioned in the Bible as one of the foods the Israelites longed for after leaving Egypt.

Watermelons have come a long way on their journey out of Africa. The watermelon you eat today was developed in Charleston, South Carolina by Charles Andrus, in 1954, while working with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Charleston Gray is a large oblong melon, light green in color, resistant to disease and known for its high yields.

The watermelon is continuing to transform. Because the watermelon is big and heavy and clumsy, they are making them smaller, a little larger than a cantaloupe, so they will fit in the refrigerator nicely. The Japanese are developing square watermelons so they can be stacked and easily transported — they won’t roll around. They do this by placing a glass box around the watermelon while it is still on the vine. As the watermelon grows, it assumes the shape of the box. To me, it sounds like cruelty to watermelons.

Watermelons are one huge multivitamin pill. They contain vitamins A and C as well as lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps the body resist infections. They are fat free, low in cholesterol and contain no sodium. Watermelons can reduce the risk of cancer and diabetes and may help lower blood pressure.

A cup of watermelon contains about 45 calories which makes them the perfect diet food. It also makes them ideal for making healthy snacks. For instance, watermelon salsa can be served with salmon. A watermelon Margarita makes the perfect cocktail, and for dessert, prepare a batch of watermelon cupcakes.

The perfect watermelon is heavy and has a creamy patch on one side. No thumping necessary.

Serena Allison, from Pageland, is the reigning South Carolina Watermelon Queen. She can carve a watermelon so it looks like an alligator while wearing a tiara.