WATERMELON

Nothing says summer more than watermelon. It’s big, mostly water and one of the most refreshing fruits in salads, soups or sorbets. It’s also a popular addition to juices, especially with ginger and lemon or strawberries. You can eat it all. The rind can be pickled or sliced and added to stir-fries, the seeds processed for oil or roasted and snacked on, and the flesh used in sweet and savoury preparations alike. The top-selling watermelons today are seedless varieties, but traditional watermelons have many fans and spitting their seeds is a lively contest in the US. Jayson Schayott holds the world record (according to Google) with 24 metres (78 feet 6 inches) at the 1997 De Leon Peach and Melon Festival.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Watermelons don’t ripen any further once picked. They should feel heavy for their size, have a smooth round or oblong shape with a slightly dull rind that is free from bruises, cracks or dents. It should have a creamy yellow underside, and when tapped you should be able to hear a hollow sound, signalling its ripeness.

A cut piece of watermelon should have a good colour and be dense at the centre (watermelons can suffer from ‘hollow heart’). Seedless melons are the most popular, but if buying with seeds, they should be black.

HOW TO STORE THEM

You can improve the eating quality of firm, uncut melons by leaving them in a cool, dry place for 2–4 days; the fruit won’t become sweeter, but it will turn softer and juicier. Store cut pieces in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and eat within 1–2 days. Ripe melons are also very fragrant, and the aroma of a cut melon can penetrate other foods.

Whole watermelons stored in a cool, dark place last longer (about 2 weeks) than if stored in the refrigerator.

WHAT’S IN THEM?

A slice of watermelon (about 160 g/5¾ oz) has about 160 kilojoules (38 calories), 0.5 g protein, no fat, 8 g carbs (all sugars), 1 g fibre, 140 mg potassium and although it has a high GI (78), the GL is low (6) as it is over 90% water.

WHAT ELSE?

Seedless melons can have a few mature black seeds or none at all. They are often covered in little coats where a seed did not mature, which are safe to eat.

HERO RECIPE

Melon, cucumber and red onion salad (here )