What's Fresh

Watermelon

Fresh watermelon may be eaten in a variety of ways and is also often used to flavor summer drinks and smoothies. Their seeds are rich in fat and protein, and are widely eaten as a snack, added to other dishes, or used as an oilseed. Grilled watermelon, known as watermelon steak due to its visual similarity to raw steak, has started to become a popular item in restaurants.

A one-cup serving of watermelon will provide around 48 calories. Watermelon is 92 percent water by weight. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A. Watermelon also provides significant amounts of vitamin B6 and vitamin B1, as well as the minerals potassium and magnesium.

A Few Fun Facts:

• Watermelon is extremely popular in the southern United States and has also led to self-parody in the annual watermelon seed-spitting contests.
• Country music singer Tracy Byrd released a single called "Watermelon Crawl", a song about a dance at a fictional watermelon festival.
• The Oklahoma State Senate passed a bill on 17 April 2007 declaring watermelon as the official state vegetable, with some controversy as the watermelon is considered by many to be a fruit.