WATERMELON
Watermelon is not very closely related to the other melons, biologically speaking, although it is resembling their shape and some of their flavor. It is originally an African vine, and it grows in a similar fashion to other melons, and its season peaks in the summer months of the year. Watermelon has a refreshing, sweet, and slightly cucumber-like taste, with a nice crispy texture. It can grow up to a weight of about 90 lb/45 kg, and it has the typical red flesh with numerous seeds embedded into it. It was eaten already in the Ancient Egypt, and since then the world production of watermelon has been greatly increased and is even higher than the production of all other melons together.
Some varieties of watermelons exist, the most famous being the so-called seedless watermelon that actually contains underdeveloped seeds. But also other variants are available, ranging in differences in colors and flavors. Some watermelons are yellow-orange, and they may also vary in shape.
Watermelons are usually eaten fresh, but they can also be pickled and puréed. In order to get the best of this fruit however you need first to find a good specimen. A perfect watermelon feels heavy in relation to its size, and has one side of the skin that looks more yellow (less green means more ripe, but it should still be mostly green in color). When you press on the skin it should have a good resistance and not be too soft. Now, the flesh of the watermelon should be quite crisp and tender at the same time, the color should be dark red, and it should be somehow sweet and have some grassy undertones.
Nutritionally, watermelon contains an interesting carotenoid called lycopene that is also present in tomatoes. But, watermelon has more of it. In addition, if you store watermelon at room temperature, its content of lycopene and also other carotenoids will increase. What are the carotenoids good for? They are good antioxidants and prevent the formation of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. There is a growing body of evidence that concludes the beneficial role of lycopene in prevention of the most incidental cancers, including breast, colorectal, and lung cancers. Some correlation studies concluded that patients with these types of cancers had reduced levels of lycopene in the blood, which of course is just correlative, but the natural function of lycopene as an antioxidant speaks for itself.
Watermelons also contain substantial amounts of vitamin C, another powerful antioxidant that together with carotenoids works to prevent not only cancers but also osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. As for other vitamins, the fruit contains good amounts of the metabolism-inducing vitamins B, and it also has nice content of magnesium and potassium - the ions that work to maintain the electrolytical balance of the body fluids. What is really unique about watermelons is that they have a lot of these nutrients in proportion to the amount of calories, mostly due to their high water content.