Weird and wacky SPRING facts about Watermelon!

Image courtesy of zole4/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Want to add some fresh fruit and colour to your spring menu? It may remind us of summer, but Seedless Watermelon is grown year-round throughout Australia, and is just as tasty in the spring months as it is in the summer ones.

Here are some weird and wacky watermelon facts, to keep you enthused about crunching away on this sweet treat, that’s good for you, too!

• The Guinness Book of Records proclaims the world’s largest watermelon weighs a hefty 117 kilograms; that’s heavier than most AFL ruckmen!
• China is currently the world’s largest producer of watermelon
• Humans (and animals!) aren’t the only ones who need to worry about sunburn; Seedless Watermelon growers apply a form of sunscreen to their melons to prevent skin damage from our hot Australian sun!
• Forget expensive diet foods; one cup of chopped Seedless Watermelon contains exactly 0 grams of fat and cholesterol! Even better, it’s made up of 98% water, rehydrating you while you eat.
• Short on fridge space? The Japanese have solved this problem by engineering square Seedless Watermelons, designed especially to fit on fridge shelves and for easy cutting! The down-side? These melons don’t come cheap, retailing for close to $100 Australian dollars each!
• The word “watermelon” first splashed across the pages of the dictionary in 1615.
• It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but all parts of the watermelon are edible and can be digested by the human stomach…even the hard, green rind!
• Keen on your watermelon? The record for watermelon eating was set in the USA, and stands at 6 kilograms. The speed it was eaten at? About one kilogram every two minutes!

For more fun facts, or any recipe or serving suggestions, head to www.seedless.com.au