A nice slice of cool, sweet watermelon would be perfect, especially after the last few weeks of extreme Southwest Florida heat, and National Watermelon Day on Thursday was the perfect place to obtain that slice, courtesy the Florida Watermelon Association and the Lutgert College of Business Center for Agribusiness.
Despite the heat — and summer break on campus, a small crowd formed to sample fruity triangles of red on display. There was no shortage of takers.
There was even the Watermelon Queen — again courtesy of theFlorida Watermelon Association — one Alyssa Armentrout of Sebring.
"One of the best parts about being the Florida Watermelon Queen is that it's my job to advocate for not just our watermelon growers in Florida, but to help to bridge the gap between consumers and growers," Armentrout said. "And also just to help to educate the consumers on just how awesome amazing and nutritious Florida grown watermelons are."
The Queen laid out some juicy facts about watermelons:
- Watermelons are 92% water.
- They're packed full of vitamins A, B6 and C as well as potassium.
- And there's over 1,200 Different varieties that are grown worldwide.
August 3rd every year is the day to celebrate this vine-like flowering plant which originated from southern Africa.
While the word watermelon refers to both the fruit and the plant to botanists, the plant is a pepo. The pepo is a berry with a thick rind and fleshy center. Interestingly, pepos develop from an inferior ovary. They are also characteristic of the Cucurbitaceae, a scientific term for the gourd family.
While the watermelon fruit is loosely considered a type of melon, unlike other melons, it’s not in the genus Cucumis. The smooth exterior usually produces a dark green rind with stripes or yellow spots. Watermelons produce a juicy, sweet interior flesh ranging from deep red to pink. However, sometimes it comes in orange, yellow, or white.
While melon holds plentiful water, wild melons tasted bland and bitter. This clue suggests that desert dwellers likely cultivated the first melon. The seeds and art found in the tombs of pharaoh's supply additional clues to the watermelon’s value. Over time, cultivation and breeding brought out the better qualities of the sweet and tender fruit we enjoy today.
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