There are not many foods more delicious than a ripe, juicy, red watermelon on a hot summer day. For the past several weeks, I have enjoyed some of the most delicious watermelons I can ever remember, and they were produced by our local farmers right here in Robeson County.

I can remember enjoying watermelons as a kid. It was a special treat during tobacco-barning time to have watermelons stored in the shade at the tobacco barn. When break time came, we would cut open a few of them and everyone around the barn would enjoy watermelon. Invariably, once we had our fill, a watermelon fight would break out. The older kids would chase down the younger kids and smear watermelon all over their faces.

My father planted a patch of watermelons every year, so we always had plenty of watermelons. But for some reason, the watermelons from his patch were never as delicious as the ones my brother and I stole from our neighbor's patch.

My father warned us not to bother Mr. Irvin's watermelons, but as my brother and I roamed throughout our farm and neighboring farms during the summer, our travels always took us by Mr. Irvin's watermelon patch. I guess we thought he would not miss just one watermelon, so we would take one to the woods where we could not be seen, break it open, and eat out the heart. Oh my, was it delicious. As I look back now, I kinda think that Mr. Irvin expected my brother and me to enjoy a few of his watermelons each year.

The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt, and the word "watermelon" first appeared in the English dictionary in 1615. Today, over 1,200 varieties of watermelons are grown in over 96 countries worldwide.

More than 4 billion pounds of watermelon are produced in the United States each year. North Carolina ranks about 7th in the nation producing over 11 million pounds on about 8,800 acres with a value of over $7.7 million.

Robeson County farmers grow watermelons each year on approximately 285 acres, with a normal yield of about 400 melons per acre. Some of these melons that are not consumed on the farm are sold commercially to grocery stores and distributors, but the majority of them are sold one at a time directly to consumers like me at local farmers markets, roadside stands, and off the tailgate of trucks along the highway. You do not have to look very far to find a fresh, locally grown watermelon.

Many of the old varieties of watermelons are still being grown today. The older varieties tend to be large melons with an abundance of seeds. Consumer's demands are changing and many specialty varieties of melons are now being marketed. Smaller melons are more desirable by many consumers, because smaller families cannot consume one of the larger varieties before it spoils. Seedless melons are now available that not only do not have seeds but are more juicy and sweeter than the older varieties. Melons with yellow flesh are gaining in popularity.

I recently read an article about the production of square watermelons. Think about it. A round watermelon is hard to handle, hard to store, and hard to transport. The article shared that when small melons first appear on the vine, they are placed into a square or rectangular form. As they grow, they take the shape of the form. When mature, they are square. Square melons are easy to store and easy to transport. Being an old-fashioned person, no matter what kind of watermelon it is, a square watermelon will never taste as good to me as a round one. It will not seem like a watermelon.

Watermelon is 92 percent water and is an ideal health food, because it does not contain any cholesterol. It is virtually fat free, nutritionally low in calories, and is considered an ideal diet food. It is high in energy, making it a great energy booster.

Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamins A, B6, and C and contains fiber and potassium. In fact, the American Heart Association recently recognized watermelon's nutritional properties by giving it the "heart healthy" seal of approval.

Watermelon season will soon be over. If you have not yet enjoyed enough watermelon for this year, I urge you to stop by one of the farmers markets or visit one of our local roadside stands and buy another one before they are all gone. Like all other vegetables, you may be able to buy them in grocery stores at other times of the year, but they just don't taste as good as the watermelons we remember as kids.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 8/11/04