Watermelon Basics

TendrilsJuly is National Watermelon Month… celebrate in style!

Nutrition: All melons are low in calories, fat, and cholesterol. They’re also sodium free.

Watermelon is a good source of Vitamins A and C. It also provides vitamin B6 and potassium. Pink watermelon contains the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene, and has higher concentrations of lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable, including tomatoes. A two cup serving of watermelon contains only 80 calories and counts for two of the eight servings of fruits and vegetables recommended per day.

Picking a watermelon: A good watermelon should be symmetrical, heavy for its size, and firm with no cuts, dents, or bruises. Look for the pale or buttery yellow “belly.” Tendrils (like pig tails) near the fruit stem should be dry and brown. When selecting a cut watermelon, the more red flesh and less white rind you see, the riper the melon is. White seeds usually indicate that the melon was picked too early. Although so-called “seedless” watermelons have far fewer seeds than the seeded varieties, they generally contain at least a few soft and pale seeds.

Wash that melon!Storage: Uncut melons can be stored for up to 2 weeks at room temperature depending on ripeness. Once cut, store all melon in a tightly closed container — its aroma easily mingles with other foods. Cut slices or chunks of melon should never be left out or held at room temperature for an extended period of time. Use cut melon within 3-4 days.

Safety: Bacteria can adhere to the surface of a melon and be passed to the flesh when the fruit is cut or handled. The melon’s skin should be washed and scrubbed with water, even if you don’t eat the rind or skin. If selecting a cut melon, be sure that it has been refrigerated during display.

Looking for some other articles or ideas to use to write or teach about watermelon?  Here a past post from the archives that can help: To Thump or Not to Thump? A Watermelon Quiz

By Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS, Professor Emeritus at The Ohio State University

And here are some other fun summer resources…

Last but not least, here’s a new printable handout that you can use as you see fit!

Watermelon Month

What’s Wrong with This Picture?

I just can’t take a vacation from food safety. We recently took a wonderful trip to Europe, and like all good foodies, I had to check out the markets and grocery stores to get a feel for what the locals were buying and eating. At a fabulous market in Spain, I took these photos of a gentleman cutting a watermelon for display and sale.

Spanish Market

What’s wrong with this picture?

Cut Melon

Or this one?

There are several potential food safety concerns in just these two photos: Did the man wash his hands before cutting the melon? Was the outside of the melon washed before it was cut? Was the knife clean? What about the cleanliness of the surface? Did he store it on ice after it was cut? From what I observed, none of these precautions were taken in this particular situation.

Washing melons or other fresh fruit before cutting reduces bacteria that may be present on the surface. These bacteria could be from the soil in which the product grew, or perhaps on the hands of the person who picked it. They could also be on the hands of the shipper, or in this case, the market owner. Some people think that since you don’t eat the rind of a melon, it’s not necessary to wash it, but if the rind is not washed before cutting, any bacteria that might be on the rind could be transferred to the moist center of the fruit — where it could easily grow and multiply. I had similar concerns about the cutting surface and the knife (how many unwashed melons were cut with the same knife that morning?) Also, cut fruit should be refrigerated; it should have been placed on ice. Needless to say, we didn’t buy this melon.

While this photo was taken in Spain, I’m sure that that wasn’t the only market where food wasn’t treated as safely as it should have been.

This is one of those situations when the consumer needs to be alert and use caution. If you’re shopping at farmers’ markets or grocery stores that sell sectioned or fresh-cut fruit, make sure you choose a place that keeps food safety in mind. When you’re tempted to taste a sample or purchase something, look around and made sure that the person offering the sample or selling the item is using good food safety practices. These practices include: washing the produce before cutting it, wearing clean gloves, using a clean knife and keeping items cold as necessary.

Don’t take risks with food safety.

By Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS, Professor Emeritus at The Ohio State University

We’re here to help you look your very best, right now, so don’t miss these marvelous food safety resources from the Nutrition Education Store

Food Safety Poster

Food Safety PowerPoint and Handout Set

Healthy Kitchen Poster Set

And here’s the best part — a free food safety handout that you can share with your clients!

Market Safety