SHREVEPORT, La. (Ark-La-Tex Weekend) - When someone brings a watermelon home or to a party, you know it’s a good day. These plump melons have been a treat for us for centuries. But how is your knowledge of them? Enjoy these wild facts about the watermelon.
1. Watermelons were first harvested back in ancient Egypt and East Africa.
2. A typical watermelon over 90% water and contains Vitamin A, C, Potassium and Magnesium.
3. We usually see the pink/red watermelons but they come in all sorts of colors including orange, yellow or white.
4. It takes between 70-100 days to grow a watermelon.
5. You can eat the rind. The best methods are pickling, in a stir fry, grilling and even juicing the rind.
6. The largest watermelon (according to Guinness World Records) weighed in at 350.5 pounds. There are 23 other records concerning watermelons.
7. Smashing watermelons was the penultimate act for the comedian Gallagher with his Sledge-O-Matic.
8. There are more than 1,200 varieties of watermelon out there. 300 are in the United States.
9. Seedless watermelons have been around for about fifty years. They are made by cross breeding two watermelon with different chromosomes. Read the technical details here.
10. National Watermelon Day falls on August 3.
11. The watermelon is the official state vegetable of Oklahoma. And yes, watermelons can be classified as a fruit and a veggie (since it is a member of the gourd family).
12. Some farmers have grown square or even pyramid-shaped watermelons by growing them in specially made boxes.
Related Topic: Keep your eyes open for some watermelon festivals that take place around the Ark-La-Tex including one in Hope.
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