quote:

Originally posted by HonestBrother:
You know you like it!

Actually, I love it!

My uncle used to own a watermelon patch and when I would come down here to his farm to visit on summer vacations, we would hop in his old rickety pick-up truck, he would cut the vines and his workers would load it up. I was a "picker" until I saw him go after a rattle snake with a hoe one time!! From that point on I stayed on the truck and was a "loader"!

The bad ones we would throw in the pig pen. The good ones he would sell. But the best one was reserved for him and me! We'd slice it sideways (the long way) and take half each. My Aunt always made us use a spoon or fork, although I always thought that was quite unnecessary. We'd have juice running down our chins, the sounds of slurpin' and spitting seeds.

I can't remember better times than that!

Yellow meat is good .. not as good, but, it's sweeter and the texture is a little finer than the red. I really don't know how to pick 'em though. I just beat on it like I know what I'm doing, then grab one, take it home and hope for the best.

I've never liked watermelon. I don't like the taste, or the texture, or the aftertaste, or the fact of all the seeds. I really don't like it at all.

No lie: my mother theorizes that it's because I got sick of it from her eating so much of it while she was carrying me.

quote:

Originally posted by Vox:
I've never liked watermelon. I don't like the taste, or the texture, or the aftertaste, or the fact of all the seeds. I really don't like it at all.

No lie: my mother theorizes that it's because I got sick of it from her eating so much of it while she was carrying me.

cute story.

and I've heard of that happening. . .even with my own daughter. She can't stand tacos & hot sauce. lol

Love Love Love watermelon! Yet it always puzzled me why blackfolks got so much racist ribbing about a "fruit" that is sooooo good for you. And for that reason alone, many blackfolks STOPPED eating it [or eating it in public]. It is one of the best food sources for dieting...cuz of all the water it holds....and the fact it has you going to the bathroom...flushing out your system. It's very good...if you want to eat lite in the mornings...it hits that hunger spot and you're satisfied for a couple of hours. Through the years we have gotten a lot of ribbing about the foods we eat....but if you look at it....it is the very foods that are EXTREMELY popular TODAY. Massa go to huge measures to get a plate of mustard/collard/turnip greens...or to get a bowl of gumbo/jambalaya[mixed with a varation of chicken/fish 'n things]...all foods considered throw-aways for the slaves back in the day. Now these foods are on the high end of Massa's menu. Go figure

quote:

Originally posted by Vox:
I've never liked watermelon. I don't like the taste, or the texture, or the aftertaste, or the fact of all the seeds. I really don't like it at all.

Weirdo!

quote:

No lie: my mother theorizes that it's because I got sick of it from her eating so much of it while she was carrying me.

Ahh, that's cute. I take back the 'weirdo' comment. I've heard of this before.

quote:

Originally posted by Kocolicious:
Love Love Love watermelon! Yet it always puzzled me why blackfolks got so much racist ribbing about a "fruit" that is sooooo good for you. And for that reason alone, many blackfolks STOPPED eating it [or eating it in public].

You make a strong point there Koko...

I think as second nature... we should always make a "double take" before we react to folks ribbin' us for "doin' what we do". More often than not... we do what we do because it "works".

quote:

You know you like it!

Can't stand it!!! Never have, never will. Of course this is one of those stereotypical things that will get you labeled "yt" really quick.

WATERMELON: THE NATIONAL NEGRO FRUIT


Yum, Yum, Yum

quote:

Originally posted by zodo:
WATERMELON: THE NATIONAL NEGRO FRUIT


Yum, Yum, Yum

Question of the Month: Blacks and Watermelons.

I almost bought one yesterday. (I wish the weather was a bit warmer, though.)

Watermelon is the official food of my childhood. I LOVE it. But I only buy it from old Black men selling it from farm trucks on the side of the road. They will plug it for you and won't lie to you about it being sweet.

I bought one yesterday. A small, round, miniature one. It had a very yellow patch on its underside, so I thought it might be sweet. Haven't tried it yet, though.

quote:

Originally posted by Santana St. Cloud:
I bought one yesterday. A small, round, miniature one. It had a very yellow patch on its underside, so I thought it might be sweet. Haven't tried it yet, though.

I've been eagerly awaiting your report.

I've come close to buying one several times in the past week or so. But each time couldn't find one that seemed right to me.

About when should one expect to start finding good watermelons?

quote:

Originally posted by HonestBrother:
I've been eagerly awaiting your report.

Breaking news!

It was pretty good!

It seems a little early for it to be in season, though.

Season

"Seventy-five percent of the crop is produced in June, July, and August, but watermelons are available year round - imported from Mexico and Central America in the hard winter months, although in December and January they're very expensive and in limited supply. As with most fruits, you should buy watermelons when the domestic crop is in season."

Guess mine was in that 25%. I Bought another one too.

I LUV me some WaterMelon....When I was pregnant, I couldn't get enough of it. That and Beer. My son came into this world with a birthmark that looked like a slice....a BIG slice of Watermelon just above his right cheek butt.
It is sooooo GOOD for you, too:

New Miracle Drug: Watermelon
By Janet Ford, Diet Power Senior Editor
Watermelon
Listed by the American Heart Association as one of the best foods for cardiovascular health.

Watermelon has the power to strip man of his morality. Mark Twain recalled that the first thing he ever stole was a watermelon, and it gave him cause to reflect on his crime. The melon wasn't ripe, and he thought he should pay restitution to the farmer he swiped it from.

"I carried that watermelon back, what was left of it," he said, "and made him give me a ripe one in its place."

The fruit of the Citrullus lanatus vine has had this power for thousands of years. Watermelon was recorded in ancient Egypt, and has been a staple of both food and water in Africa and Asia. (With a water content of 92 percent, it's not called watermelon for nothing.)

Watermelon has witnessed many changes and discoveries in the past 20 years, however. Thanks to scientific advances, it's being touted as so healthful it should be stored in your medicine chest. It won't fit, of course, but even that's about to change: Before long, you'll see watermelons so small you'll be tempted to shoplift them. In the meantime, you're stuck with (or blessed with, depending on how you feel) the ones that slice easiest with a machete.

Diet Power has declared watermelon one of "The 10 Best Foods." Its delectable flesh has no cholesterol and virtually no fat (almost none of which is saturated)—a stellar accomplishment for a food often served as a dessert at picnics. Watermelon is an excellent source of potassium and vitamins A, C, and B6. It's also a good source of water (that's why the things are so heavy), so you can chew your way to getting your daily H2O requirement.
Move Over, Tomatoes!

But recent research shows another wonderful characteristic: Watermelon contains more lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable. Lycopene, besides being the red pigment that gives the flesh its color, is an antioxidant known to prevent cancer. Studies have shown that people who get lots of lycopene have a lower risk of prostate, uterine, and esophageal tumors.

Tomatoes have received the lion's share of attention when it comes to lycopene, even though there is less per serving (4 milligrams in a cup vs. 9 in the same amount of watermelon). Watermelon is also listed by the American Heart Association as one of the best foods for cardiovascular health.

"Watermelon is practically a multivitamin unto itself," says Samantha Winters, a spokeswoman for the National Watermelon Promotion Board.

Watermelons are still on the kitchen counter instead of the medicine chest because they're bulky, but that's changed over the years. Although the Japanese recently created a cube-shaped watermelon (click here to see it), in America the trend is toward smaller and smaller. In part, this stems (no pun intended) from the craze to make watermelons seedless. Melons without seeds are smaller and rounder than their seedy cousins.

The technology for growing seedless melons has been around for half a century, but popular for only the last 15 years or so, says Warren Roberts, a watermelon expert and an associate professor of horticulture at Oklahoma State University. Today, one-third to one-half of all watermelons sold in this country are seedless, and in California the rate is seven in eight.
Spitters' Foe

Making the seedless variety involves cross-pollination, whose side effects include smaller seeds in the seeded types. And that's why Jim Dietz, of Chicago, can rest assured that his singular accomplishment may last longer than Joe DiMaggio's 56-game batting streak. Dietz, you see, holds the world record for watermelon-seed spitting: 68 feet, 11 inches, which he set in New Orleans in 1978. OK, he admits that the feat was wind-aided, but no one has come close since. Today, a good spit travels only 28 to 38 feet.

"I think spitting was just something natural that I was bestowed with," he says. And it runs in the family: He broke the record held by his late father, Bob, and has won the spitting contest eight times. He attributes his expectoratorial prowess to no special technique. "I kind of put the seed towards the tip of my tongue," he explains, "and just try and shoot it with as much air as I can muster."

Dietz, whose family business distributes watermelons, says the record is likely to stay intact partly because of the seedless melons. "They've cross-bred them so many times," he says, "the seeds just don't have the mass." Because a smaller object has a higher surface-to-mass ratio than a larger, it's far more susceptible to that enemy of all seed-spitters: wind resistance.
Is That Melon Ripe?

The melon miniaturist movement continues. In California, one of the leading producers of watermelons (Florida is the biggest), stores will soon be stocked with melons the size of cantaloupes. "As family size decreases, consumers want something smaller," says Dana Abercrombie, director of the California-Arizona Watermelon Association.

The "personal" watermelon will weigh about two or three pounds. "It's just a one-meal melon," Abercrombie says "—something you can cut in half and say, 'Here, honey, you eat this.'"

Until the tiny melon gets a foothold, you'll have to keep looking for the best larger ones. But how do you tell when a watermelon is ripe?

Most experts agree start with the color of the rind. It should be a dull green, depending on the variety—but more importantly, the side that has lain on the ground during ripening should be creamy yellow. If it's white, it's not ripe.

Another major clue is the vine. If a stem is still attached, it should be brown. If it's green, put the melon back.

Its density should also give it away. "You should pick it up and say, 'Oh, that's heavier than I thought it should be,'" says Abercrombie. Heaviness means the melon has absorbed a goodly amount of water.
Kicking the Tires

There is no consensus about the "thump" test. Abercrombie recommends slapping with the palm of your hand, not your knuckle. "You should hear a hollow, reverberating sound, like in a basketball." If the melon pings, it's not ripe, she says.

Many people swear by the acoustic method, but others say it's like kicking the tires on a car. "It makes you feel good when you do it, but you don't know what it will accomplish," says Roberts, the Oklahoma State expert. Only an experienced ear can tell the difference, he says.

"A lot of people talk about that, but they can't really tell you what they're listening for," says Winters of the national board. If you're not sure, you can always ask the grocer to cut it for you.

Once you have the melon home, it will keep at room temperature for two to three weeks. After you've cut into it, however, it needs to go in the fridge. Or you can take care of it the way Roberts does. "I like to cut it open, eat the heart out, and then go on to another melon."

I am trying to re-acquire my taste and appreciation for wateremelon.

Raised on a farm (share cropper), we planted a garden of at least five acres every year with at least one acre for watermelons.

Why? I have no idea. I guess the land need to be utilized. We had way too much.

Food? No problem. Anytime, morning, noon or night, watermelon. We would pick the watermelon and put them in the shed behind the house. (hundreds of them)

If they began to rot, we would have to remove them and get rid of them.

We would give them away, feed them to the hogs, the chickens, the mules, the cats, the dogs, play football with them, play baseball with them, play basketball with them, hit each other with them, places them on the ground and jump up & down, squashing them, run over them with the tractor.

Anything we could think of away from the grown ups.

By the time I was in high school I HATED watermelons. It took me years after high school to eat one and right now in the past 10 years I have bought at least one per year. I only eat half and throw the rest away.

Watermelon overload & burnout. Slowly, I may get it back.

I'm proud to report that this past summer I picked some fantastic melons.

I got skillz!

quote:

Originally posted by HonestBrother:
I'm proud to report that this past summer I picked some fantastic melons.

I got skillz!

LOL. The Watermelon Whisperer.

quote:

Originally posted by kresge:

quote:

Originally posted by Fabulous:
I LOVE watermelon. . .

but. . .

but

the SEEDLESS only.

I do NOT like eating 'around' all those damn seeds.

\
IMHO, seedless watermelons don't have any taste to them. I got to have my seeds to spit.

Actually seedless watermelons have a greater potential to be sweeter and tastier because the the melon does not have to work to make seed but instead it makes more sugar.

It is the same concept with sensimel pot (pot without seeds) is more potent and has more resin, bigger flowers.

I actually shop for seedless watermelons because they do tend to be more sweet than the ones with seeds.

Saw this at This Week In Blackness in the IS THIS RACIST? - With Baron Vaughn column. I'm not sure if it's a real question (the guy's a comedian), but it's about watermelon.

One of my co-workers brought in watermelon. I went in her office to get some, and when I came out I was singing “I love me some watermelon!” The cleaning lady, a nice black woman, spun around looking INCREDIBLY offended. I can’t apologize because then it sounds like I did it on purpose, but, if I don’t say anything, she is going to think I am racist. And not 2008 racist. Like “1962 Alabama racist” because anyone who would be SO RACIST to sing “I love watermelon” should be asked to leave the country. So now it seems my only option when she comes back on Wednesday is to have my Obama bumper sticker prominently displayed next to a photo of you and I.

Melon-in Imparied

quote:

Originally posted by HonestBrother:
I'm proud to report that this past summer I picked some fantastic melons.

I got skillz!

I couldn't pick a good watermelon to save my life this year!!

My Dad nor my sis-in-law did much better either!

I'ma blame it on a bad crop, though ... global warming ... the downfall of the 99 Cents Only stores!!