Scoop seedless watermelon instead of ice cream into an ice cream cone filled with healthy yogurt and Craisins. If you like, pipe pineapple cream cheese frosting around the rim of the cone. Photo and recipe courtesy Watermelon.org.
August 2010 |
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Eat Watermelon
Page 3: Watermelon Information & Tips
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Americans consume about three billion pounds of watermelon each year. Here are some tips to help you better buy, store and eat watermelon.
Watermelon Tips
- Buying: To find out if a watermelon is ripe, slap it with the palm of your hand. If it sounds hollow, then the melon is ripe. A high-pitched tone indicates a green or under-ripe melon; a dull sound or thud indicates an overripe melon.
- If picking melon from a patch, check the underside: It should be yellow or creamy. If it is white or pale green, the melon is not yet ripe.
- The rind should be hard with a waxy bloom. It is hard to test for ripeness on a small watermelon. Most have a “green sound” even if they are ripe. It may be better to buy a cut piece of a larger melon.
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Don’t stick to the tried-and-true: Seek out different types of watermelon to eat. In addition to yellow-flesh melons, you can find seedless orange varieties at Melissas.com. Photo courtesy Beltrami County Master Gardeners. |
- Storing: Harvested, uncut watermelon can be stored for about 2 weeks at room temperature. Store at room temperature—not in the fridge—until you are ready to chill and eat it.
- Tightly cover cut pieces with plastic wrap; they’ll keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
- Eating & Drinking: A watermelon is completely edible. Beyond the sweet flesh part, the seeds can be roasted and eaten. Watermelon rind is used for making preserves, pickles and relish (it tastes like cucumber). In China, the rinds are stir-fried, stewed or pickled.
- Wash the rind before slicing.
- Turn your watermelon into a delicious drink. The recipe in the photo is on the next page.
- Look for watermelon juice year-round —it’s absolutely delicious. Sundia is a widely-distributed brand.
Continue To Page 4: Watermelon Recipes
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You can drink watermelon as easily as you can eat it. Photo courtesy Watermelon.org. |
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