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Watermelon is everyone’s favorite summer fruit, or is it? Did you know that the Watermelon isn’t even a fruit? Yeah, neither did I. Here are ten other interesting facts about Watermelon guaranteed to impress fellow picnic guests.
The Facts:
- Not only does it quench your thirst, it can also quench inflammation that contributes to conditions like asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis.
- Over 1,200 varieties of watermelon are grown worldwide.
- Watermelon is an ideal health food because it doesn’t contain any fat or cholesterol, is high in fiber and vitamins A & C and is a good source of potassium.
- Pink watermelon is also a source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene. These powerful antioxidants travel through the body neutralizing free radicals.
- Watermelon is a vegetable! It is related to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash.
- Early explorers used watermelons as canteens.
- Watermelon is grown in over 96 countries worldwide.
- In China and Japan watermelon is a popular gift to bring a host.
- In Israel and Egypt, the sweet taste of watermelon is often paired with the salty taste of feta cheese.
- Every part of a watermelon is edible, even the seeds and rinds.
What an amazing fru… vegetable! To help us celebrate the Watermelon in true WCdish style, I put together this healthy treat:
Frozen Watermelon Lemonade
Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients
- 3 cups watermelon cubes, seeds removed
- 1/2 cup raspberries
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 1/2 cups strawberry-flavored, calorie-free carbonated water, chilled
How to make it…
- Place watermelon cubes and raspberries in a blender; process until smooth. Pour through a sieve; discard pulp.
- Combine the sugar and water in the small saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly, just until the sugar dissolves. Set aside allow to cool slightly.
- Stir the sugar-water and lemon juice onto the watermelon raspberry juice mixture. Pour the juice mixture onto a covered freezer container. Freeze until firm
- Using an ice cream scoop, spoon the mixture into tall glasses. Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of the strawberry flavored water over the frozen juice in each glass. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information (per serving)
CALORIES 99; PROTEIN 0.5g; CARB 25g; SUGAR 23g; FAT 0.3g; CHOL 0g;
SODIUM 2mg; FIBER 0.6g
Questions about nutrition? Feel free to contact our resident nutritionist Margaret Moses, RD
at 610-431-7000 or Margaretmo@acacwc.com
5 Comments So Far
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My only question is why oh why did they ever introduce seedless watermelon? Is it only me, but do they just taste like under-ripe, immature melons? Yes, the seeds can be a pain, but the flavor is always right along the cracks where the seeds are. MMM. Give me back my rattlesnake melon!
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I have to take exception to: “Watermelon is a vegetable! It is related to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash.”
Botanically, fruits are the ovaries of plants — bulgy things filled with seeds. All the examples above (also tomatoes, eggplants and chiles) are fruits. The term “vegetable” has no botanical meaning, but usually refers to parts of plants other than fruits (leaves, roots, stems and such). In common usage, “fruit” refers to sweet plant parts, regardless of their structural properties — which is why people are often surprised that tomatoes, eggplants and chilies are not “vegetables.”
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Its not just you! Seedless watermelons are not nearly as good as their seed-full cousins. I don’t even bother buying the seedless ones anymore…which often means I don’t buy watermelon at all, since the ones with seeds are sometimes difficult to even find.
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I just swallow my seeds. Why bother spitting them out its not like we are trying to grow a garden with them.
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Try Pete’s Produce in the summer when the yellow watermelons come out can i say yummy.