STORY TO BE TOLD

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.), family Cucurbitaceae) can be both the fruit and the plant of a vine-like (scrambler and trailer) plant originally from southern Africa, and is one of the most common types of melon. This flowering plant produces a special type of fruit known by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind (exocarp) and fleshy center (mesocarp and endocarp); pepos are derived from an inferior ovary, and are characteristic of the Cucurbitaceae. The watermelon fruit, loosely considered a type of melon (although not in the genus Cucumis), has a smooth exterior rind (green, yellow and sometimes white) and a juicy, sweet interior flesh (usually pink, but sometimes orange, yellow, red and sometimes green if not ripe). It is also commonly used to make a variety of salads, most notably fruit salad.


Nutrition

Watermelon, raw (edible parts) Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 127 kJ (30 kcal)
Carbohydrates 7.55 g
Sugars 6.2 g
Dietary fiber 0.4 g
Fat 0.15 g
Protein 0.61 g
Water 91.45 g
Vitamin A equiv. 28 μg (3%)
Thiamine (Vit. B1) 0.033 mg (3%)
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.021 mg (1%)
Niacin (Vit. B3) 0.178 mg (1%)
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.221 mg (4%)
Vitamin B6 0.045 mg (3%)
Folate (Vit. B9) 3 μg (1%)
Vitamin C 8.1 mg (14%)
Calcium 7 mg (1%)
Iron 0.24 mg (2%)
Magnesium 10 mg (3%)
Phosphorus 11 mg (2%)
Potassium 112 mg (2%)
Zinc 0.10 mg (1%)
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient database
A basket of watermelons displayed in a Singapore supermarket.

A watermelon contains about 6% sugar and 92% water by weight. As with many other fruits, it is a source of vitamin C.

Notable is the inner rind of the watermelon, which is usually a light green or white color. This area is edible and contains many hidden nutrients that most people avoid eating due to its unappealing flavor.

The amino acid citrulline was first extracted from watermelon and analysed. Watermelons contain a significant amount of citrulline and after consumption of several kg, an elevated concentration is measured in the blood plasma; this could be mistaken for citrullinaemia or other urea cycle disorders.

Watermelon rinds are also edible, and sometimes used as a vegetable. In China, they are stir-fried, stewed or more often pickled. When stir-fried, the de-skinned and de-fruited rind is cooked with olive oil, garlic, chili peppers, scallions, sugar and rum. Pickled watermelon rind is also commonly consumed in the Southern US. Watermelon juice can also be made into wine.

Watermelon is also mildly diuretic.

Watermelons contain large amounts of beta carotene.

Watermelon with red flesh is a significant source of lycopene.

Varieties

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev testing a watermelon on a farm in the Volga region

There are more than 1200 varieties of watermelon ranging in size from less than a pound, to more than two hundred pounds, with flesh that is red, orange, yellow or white. Several notable varieties are included here.

* Carolina Cross: This variety of watermelon produced the current world record watermelon weighing 262 pounds (119 kg). It has green skin, red flesh and commonly produces fruit between 65 and 150 pounds (29 and 68 kg). It takes about 90 days from planting to harvest.

* Yellow Crimson Watermelon: variety of watermelon that has a yellow colored flesh. This particular type of watermelon has been described as "sweeter" and more "honey" flavored than the more popular red flesh watermelon.

* Orangeglo: This variety has a very sweet orange pulp, and is a large oblong fruit weighing 9–14 kg (20–30 pounds). It has a light green rind with jagged dark green stripes. It takes about 90–100 days from planting to harvest.

* The Moon and Stars variety of watermelon has been around since 1926. The rind is purple/black and has many small yellow circles (stars) and one or two large yellow circles (moon). The melon weighs 9–23 kg (20–50 pounds).[20] The flesh is pink or red and has brown seeds. The foliage is also spotted. The time from planting to harvest is about 90 days.

* Cream of Saskatchewan: This variety consists of small round fruits, around 25 cm (10 inches) in diameter. It has a quite thin, light green with dark green striped rind, with sweet white flesh and black seeds. It can grow well in cool climates. It was originally brought to Saskatchewan, Canada by Russian immigrants. These melons take 80–85 days from planting to harvest.

Watermelon output in 2005

* Melitopolski: This variety has small round fruits roughly 28–30 cm (11–12 inches) in diameter. It is an early ripening variety that originated from the Volga River region of Russia, an area known for cultivation of watermelons. The Melitopolski watermelons are seen piled high by vendors in Moscow in summer. This variety takes around 95 days from planting to harvest.[23]
* Densuke Watermelon: This variety has round fruit up to 25 lb (11 kg). The rind is black with no stripes or spots. It is only grown on the island of Hokkaido, Japan, where up to 10 000 watermelons are produced every year. In June 2008, one of the first harvested watermelons was sold at an auction for 650 000 yen (6300 USD), making the most expensive watermelon ever sold. The average selling price is generally around 25 000 yen (250 USD)

Credits to and source taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon

Tips and Hints for Eating Fruit 'til Noon

1. When first awakening in the morning, it is beneficial to drink a glass of water to wash through the digestive tract. This can have a squeeze of lemon in it or not.

2. All fruit and fruit juice must be fresh. Nothing cooked, canned or processed in any way. Nothing pasteurized.

3. You can have as much or as little as you desire up until noon. Some people are fine with only a small amount of fruit and desire no more. Others want to “graze” all morning on different fruits and juice. Either is fine. Figure out what is best for you and do that.

4. Fruits such as bananas, raisins, dates and all dried fruits (figs, pineapple, mango, papaya, apples, apricots) are more concentrated and will stay in your stomach longer than the watery fruits, so you will feel full longer. It is essential, however, to not eat fruit dried with chemicals such as sulfur nitrite. Eat only naturally dried fruit. It will say on the package if it is sun-dried or dehydrated or if it contains sulfur nitrite, or your grocer will be able to tell you. Health-food stores usually have naturally dried fruit. Also food dehydrators have become popular as of late. They are inexpensive and valuable far beyond their cost. Since dried fruit is concentrated versus fresh fruit, which has a higher water content, it is extremely important that you only eat very small amounts of dried fruit. The bulk of what you eat should be the high-water-content fruits. As you know, you may have as much fresh fruit as you desire, but dried fruit, unlike fresh fruit, can be overeaten.

5. Some people want to know if it's all right to have nothing in the morning except water. Yes. What you are trying to do is not interfere with the elimination cycle with food that requires digestion. But unless you are one of the minuscule number of people who simply do not like to eat fruit, it is important that you eat some fruit every day, and in the morning is when you can be sure there is nothing else in the stomach that will cause fruit to spoil.

6. After drinking juice, which is primarily water, you can eat other foods after about ten to fifteen minutes have elapsed. After eating whole fruit or a smoothie [see next page], wait about thirty to forty minutes before eating other food. After eating bananas, raisins or dried fruit, you should wait about forty minutes. Once you have eaten something other than fruit, you should wait at least three hours before eating fruit or drinking juice again. The only exception to this is that if you have raw vegetables by themselves without dressing or dip, fruit can then be eaten about twenty to thirty minutes later. If you wish to have fruit as a snack or at night before bed, be sure that at least three hours elapse after eating anything cooked and about one and a half to two hours after eating a salad.

A smoothie is made by putting into a blender chunks of frozen bananas (freeze peeled bananas in an air-tight container), fresh apple or orange juice, and whatever fresh or frozen fruit you like, such as strawberries, blueberries or other berries, peaches, etc. It blends into a delicious shake. Its thickness depends on the amount of bananas used. Some people like the bananas at room temperature-it's just a matter of taste. Experiment with these; they are delicious and fun. A day rarely passes that I don't have one of these treats.

7. Whenever drinking juice (or a smoothie), it is extremely important that you do not gulp it down. It should be consumed slowly. Drinking a glass of orange juice in two big gulps is not good for you and can cause your stomach to become upset. Take only one mouthful. Swish it around in your mouth one time to mix it with saliva and then swallow. In other words, “chew” your juice. This is not a small matter. Drink your juices slowly; do not gulp them down.

8. The question often comes up if it is all right to continue having juice after noon, or whether it is necessary to eat something else at twelve o'clock. No, it is not necessary to eat something other than fruit at noon, unless you are hungry for something else. Many people, myself included, on numerous occasions have only fruit and fruit juice until the evening meal. Sometimes you simply won't feel like eating anything other than fruit, and you should not feel you must eat if you are not hungry. As you progress with this, there will even be days when you have only fruit and fruit juice the entire day. It's a totally natural thing; sometimes you just won't feel like eating. Those are truly super-high-energy days. As time goes by, and you become more familiar with eating fruit correctly, you will find there are a multitude of ways to provide your body with fruit. It's something that automatically happens and becomes clear to you over time. For now you should focus on having fruit exclusively 'til noon, and the rest will unfold and become familiar to you as a natural progression.

source taken from: http://www.enotalone.com/