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Seedless Watermelon

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Seedless Watermelon

(Scientific Binomial Name: Citrullus lanatus)

Selection Information

Usage: Raw, in fruit salads or in fruit platters.

Selection: Good-quality Seedless watermelons will be firm, evenly-shaped, heavy for its size and have a deep-pitched tone when slapped with an open palm. Medium to large melons are generally easier to tell when ripe. Yellow on one side of the melon is where the fruit contacted the ground and does not affect quality. Seedless watermelon are not completely seedless, they just have the small white seeds that most people consider edible.

Avoid: Avoid product that is partially white or pale green, soft overall, has soft spots or is leaking a milky-white fluid. When using the open palm technique for ripeness, avoid melons with a high-pitched tone or a dead, thudding sound.

Storage: Before cutting, wash watermelons with soap and water so dirt on the rind doesn't get into into the flesh. Refrigerate cut watermelon in sealed containers for up to a week. Uncut watermelons can be stored at room temperature up to two weeks.

Seasonal Information

Seedless watermelon is available year-round due to imports from Mexico.

California and Arizona product is available from May through October.

Seedless Watermelon Nutritional Information

Serving Size: 154g
Amount Per Serving
Calories46	Calories from Fat 0
	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 2mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 12g	4%
Dietary Fiber 1g	2%
Sugars 10g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 18%	Vitamin C 21%
Calcium 1%	Iron 2%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Source: PMA's Labeling Facts

Watermelons are very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. They'realso a good source of Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

Watermelon Tips & Trivia

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Seedless Watermelon contains high levels of Lycopene - a powerful antioxidant.
With an open palm, slap the watermelon. A high-pitched tone indicates green or under-ripe product. A dull sound or dead thud indicates an over-ripe melon. A deep-pitched tone indicates a melon that is ripe. Slap a number of melons one after the other and you will be able to hear the differences in tone. Small melons are the hardest to test for ripeness since most will sound green even if they are ripe. If you need a small amount of watermelon, it is best to buy a piece of a larger one. It may be more expensive per pound, but you will be more likely to get good flavor.
Watermelon, considered one of America's favorite fruits, is really a vegetable (Citrullus lanatus). Cousin to the cucumber and kin to the gourd, watermelons can range in size from 7 to 100 pounds.
The world record for the largest watermelon grown is 255 pounds, grown by Vernon Conrad of Bixby, Oklahoma!
The world record for watermelon seed-spitting is 66'11", held by Jack Dietz of Chicago.
Americans purchase and consume about 3 billion pounds of watermelon annually.
Historians say watermelons first grew in the middle of the Kalahari Desert. They were a source of water for thirsty traders, who began to sell the seeds in cities along the ancient Mediterranean trade routes.
Cultivation of watermelon spread throughout Africa and, by the 1600s, watermelon made its way to Great Britain, Spain, China and beyond. Watermelon arrived in North America courtesy of European colonists and African slaves.
Russians make beer out of watermelon juice.
During the Civil War, the Confederate Army boiled down watermelons as a source of sugar and molasses.
Melons may be kept at room temperature, un-cut, for about two weeks. Store whole melons at 50-60°F. Cut melons should be wrapped and stored at 40-50°F.

Yield: Based on average 20-pound and 30-pound watermelon sliced 1/2 inch thick for garnishes and 3/4 inch thick for buffets.

20 lb. melon: Number of 1/2-inch wedges (1/6 slice) 138; Number of 3/4-inch wedges (1/6 slice) 90
30 lb. melon: Number of 1/2-inch wedges (1/6 slice) 192; Number of 3/4-inch wedges (1/6 slice) 126

There are about 200 varieties of watermelon throughout the United States. All varieties can be classified into four general categories: Picnic, Ice-box, Seedless and Yellow Flesh.

Picnic: · 15-45 pounds; · Red or yellow flesh; · Round or oblong; · Light to dark-green rind, with or without stripes
Ice-box: · 5-15 pounds; · Red or yellow flesh; · Round; · Dark or light-green rind
Seedless: · 10-25 pounds; · Red or yellow flesh; · Oval to round; · Light-green rind with dark-green stripes
Yellow flesh: · 10-30 pounds; · Oblong to long; · Light-green rind with mottled stripes; · Yellow to bright-orange flesh

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