Everything to Know about Watermelon
How to select, cut, store and cook with summer’s most quintessential fruit.
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By Layla Khoury-Hanold for Food Network Kitchen
Layla Khoury-Hanold is a contributor at Food Network.
A slice of juicy watermelon is one of summer’s most delicious seasonal treats. Its refreshing sweetness makes it a versatile ingredient for all kinds of dishes, from salads to salsas to smoothies. Here’s everything you need to know about watermelon including how to tell when they’re ripe, how to cut them and the best way to store them. Plus, get our favorite watermelon recipes.
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What Is Watermelon?
Watermelon is a large, round- or oval- shaped melon with a thick rind and watery, crisp flesh. The rind is dark green in color, green-striped or sometimes green mottled with white, and the flesh is commonly pink or red, but there are also yellow- or orange-fleshed varieties. As a member of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), watermelon is related to squash, cucumbers, cantaloupe and pumpkins.
From a nutrition standpoint, Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, FAND, award-winning nutrition expert and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Diabetes Create Your Plate Meal Prep Cookbook, says, “Watermelon contains 46 calories per cup and has no fat. As the name indicates, it’s mainly composed of water (92% to be exact). These melons are a good source of the antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C. They also contain the powerful antioxidant lycopene, which is associated with a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.”
When Is Watermelon In Season?
Watermelon is in season throughout the summer, typically from May to September, but the date range varies depending on the climate where you live.
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How to Know When Watermelon Is Ripe
You can tell a watermelon is ripe by assessing a few visual cues. First, look for the “ground spot” or “field spot,” the side of the melon that’s been resting on the ground. It should be a light cream or creamy yellow color; if the field spot is missing or still white, that means it’s not ripe, and if it’s dark yellow, it’s over-ripe.
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Look for rinds that have a lighter-green shade; on both solid green and green-striped watermelons, the color will lighten up a few shades as it ripens.
Finally, pick the watermelon up. The heavier it feels for its size, the juicier and sweeter the watermelon will be. Be sure to avoid any melons with bruises, cuts or dents.
Varieties of Watermelon
More than 96 countries around the world produce more than 1,200 varieties of watermelons. There are 200 to 300 varieties grown in the U.S. and Mexico alone, including 50 of the most popular varieties. The five most popular varieties of watermelon are seeded, seedless, mini, yellow and orange flesh.
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Seeded: oblong in shape and weighs an average of 15 to 45 pounds; contains medium to large brown or black seeds.
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Seedless: most popular variety in the U.S., round and averages 10 to 20 pounds; varieties include Crimson Trio or Millionaire.
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Mini or Personal-Sized: small and round, averages between 1 to 7 pounds; available in seeded or seedless varieties with red or yellow flesh.
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Yellow and Orange Flesh: round and averages between 10 to 30 pounds; a hybrid variety called Peace is a very juicy, yellow-fleshed melon.
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How to Store Watermelon
Store whole melons at room temperature for 7 to 10 days. Once you slice it, wrap leftover melon tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
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How to Cut Watermelon
Be sure to rinse your watermelon thoroughly before cutting it. To cut watermelon, trim the top and bottom rind so it can sit flat on the board without rolling. For slices of melon, cut the melon in half, then place the halves cut-side down, quarter the halves and cut into wedges. For cubes, instead of cutting the melon in half, follow the curve of the melon and run a sharp knife down the edges to remove the rind, then trim any remaining white spots. For more details and techniques, check out our primer on How to Cut Up A Watermelon.
What to Cook with Watermelon
Nothing beats a cold slice of watermelon on a hot summer day, but watermelon brings sweet refreshment to salads, appetizers, salsas, drinks and desserts, too.
Salads
Watermelon plays nicely with other summer produce, like this Watermelon Cucumber Salad, in which watermelon’s sweetness is offset by cool cucumbers, fresh mint and quick-pickled red onions. Or try this Smashed Cucumber and Watermelon Salad, which balances crisp, jagged cukes with fresh, sweet melon, a flurry of fresh herbs and a whisper of heat from chiles and ginger. For an inspired take on fruit salad, try this Watermelon Salad, which pulls in mint simple syrup and lemon zest to unify blueberries and cubed melon, or this tropical-leaning Coconut-Watermelon Salad, finished with a sweetened condensed milk drizzle and toasted coconut flakes.
Appetizers
These Thai Grilled Watermelon Lettuce Cups make the case for taking grilled fruit savory by tossing cubes with a lime, fish sauce and brown sugar mixture and tucking them into Bibb lettuce leaves for a hand-held app. For your next party trick, try grilling wedges for this sweet-savory Grilled Watermelon with Whipped Feta Dip. Ultra-thin slices of baby seedless watermelon take a starring turn in this dinner party ready Watermelon Carpaccio with Ricotta Salata. And for a summertime classic, team up heirloom tomatoes with seedless watermelon and whiz up a batch of Tomato and Watermelon Gazpacho Soup.
Salsas and Preserves
A medley of diced watermelon, sliced red onion, jalapeno and cilantro make a refreshing salsa for these Chicken-Watermelon Tacos. Extend watermelon season by whipping up a batch of Watermelon Jam or transform watermelon rinds into Sweet and Spicy Pickled Watermelon Rind, which are great in salads and slaws and makes an ideal accompaniment for fried chicken and cheese plates.
Drinks
Try starting your day with a refreshing Watermelon and Cucumber Smoothie (be sure to freeze extra cubes of melon for future smoothies!) and stay hydrated all day with Watermelon-Mint Water, which can be made with still or sparkling water. Watermelon make ultra refreshing slushies, as with this Watermelon Lemonade Slushie or these Watermelon Margarita Slushies, perfect for your next pool party. Try making watermelon the star of your next cocktail, like these Watermelon Mojitos, finished with chilled ginger ale, or these Watermelon Sours, topped with sparkling rosé.
Desserts
Watermelon works beautifully in frozen treats, like these stunning Layered Watermelon Ice Pops fashioned to look like watermelon slices, or this easy yet sophisticated Watermelon Granita.
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