Watermelons...Yum

ray66v · Aug 30, 2010

My Crimson sweets are averaging 25 lbs this year. They are also red, and sweet all the way to the skin. :licking:

Everyone thinks I cheated somehow, because they say that a watermelon can't be that sweet.

I am still waiting on my yellow watermelons.

Duffster · Aug 30, 2010

jinman said:
Wow! Duffster, that is a nice looking melon with very thin rind. I can almost taste it. Yum!:licking:

I was rather surprised with how thin the rind was. It is also very good right up to the rind unlike some I have had.

I was told after I planted them that watermelon doesn't grow in WI.

Duffster · Aug 31, 2010

How much watermelon can one eat in a week before you blow an o-ring? :laughing:

keegs · Sep 1, 2010

The Times had a video recently on the do's and don'ts of picking a good watermelon. The objective is to choose one with sweetness and a firm texture. Getting the perfect combo is pretty much a crap shoot though.

One of the most important things to look for regarding ripeness/sweetness is a good ground spot. A good ground spot indicates the wm has had time to ripen in the sun....makes sense...

Thumping on or tapping a watermelon doesn't tell you much they say.

I like the seedless kind. I almost always keep it in the fridge. Nothing like a cold piece of wm on a hot day. I usually share a piece with the dog ...he loves it too. I take it to work as a snack. Makes me pee allot though.

jinman · Sep 1, 2010

keegs said:
Thumping on or tapping a watermelon doesn't tell you much they say.

I always love it when people tell you that thumping doesn't work. That means that they can't tell the difference, so it must be bogus. Sure, you use all the signs, but there is a definite difference in the sound and feel of the thump on a ripe melon. I just used that method to distinguish between melons in my garden this year and it worked perfectly. Of course, I didn't have a field full of melons, but I had been thumping these melons for a couple of weeks and when the sound changed to a deep "thud" instead of a sharper "tick" sound, I knew they were ripe. Maybe my thumper is better calibrated than most.:laughing:

Duffster, every year I grow watermelons and cantaloupes I have the same problem. They all get ripe at the same time. I eat melon for breakfast, snacks, and desert. By the end of the summer, I don't care if I never see or taste another melon. Then, after not having any for a couple of weeks, I start thinking of how good they are and wish for some more.:licking:

keegs · Sep 1, 2010

Well...this morning before I left for work I cut open a WM I purchased using the Times method and as soon as it was cleaved it was apparent to me that I'd picked a mellon...NPI...

In spots the flesh was dark and watery. I threw most of the bottom half away and the top half only looked slightly better.

5.99

...what a disappointment...

ray66v · Sep 1, 2010

I had a friend that said if you pack a watermelon in dry sand, and put it in a cool place, they will keep.

He used to eat one for thanksgiving ever year.

Perhaps I will try it sometime.

jinman · Sep 1, 2010

ray66v said:
I had a friend that said if you pack a watermelon in dry sand, and put it in a cool place, they will keep.

If it doesn't work, you have your start for the next year's patch. Just water in the spring and act like that's the way it's supposed to be.:laughing::thumbsup:

I see melons here all year long, but they are not domestically grown. Most are from Mexico or Central America.

Chuck52 · Sep 1, 2010

I wonder if blended up watermelon would freeze well and taste good. I know that a lot of the goodness of watermelon is the crisp texture, but if I had an excess I'd at least try freezing some slushies for later in the year. If nothing else, they'd be the main ingredient in some interesting rum drinks maybe?

Chuck