National Watermelon Day!

Food 2 Minutes

Watermelons are made up of 92% water, hence the name.

A watermelon is one of the only foods to be classified as both a fruit and a vegetable.

Wild watermelons are native to South Africa.

The novelty of a cubed watermelon began in Japan where they would grow them in glass boxed to hold their shape.

In Egypt and Israel it is common for watermelon to be served with feta cheese.

Watermelon is a relative of pumpkins and cucumbers.

Early explorers used watermelons similar to a drink bottle to hold fluids.

Watermelon is grown in 96 countries.

Watermelon has a greater concentrated source of lycopene in comparison to tomatoes.

In the United States amongst different melons, watermelon is the most consumed.

There are more than 1,200 varieties of different watermelons.

Although many people prefer not to, all of the watermelon including the rind can be eaten.

Globally, China is the leading producers of watermelons.

There is evidence showing that the first watermelon ever grown was in Egypt approximately 5,000 years ago.

United States are the fifth largest producers of watermelon globally.

The scientific name for a watermelon is ‘Citrullus Lanatus’.

Watermelon juice may relieve muscle tension.

Watermelon is rich in many vitamins.

Watermelon contains 6% sugar.

The heaviest watermelon recorded weighed 350.5 lbs and was grown in 2013.

In the United States an entire month has been dedicated to watermelons.

Watermelon has been known as a natural Viagra due to its citrulline content.

Seedless watermelons are not genetically modified but are a hybrid species.

Going on weight, watermelons are the most consumed fruit in America.

Watermelon has only about 40 calories per cup.

Chinese offer watermelons as gifts to a hostess.

A watermelon’s flesh is not always red alternatively can be orange, green, yellow or white.

Some varieties of watermelon need 130 warm days to fully ripen.

In some cases watermelon can reduce inflammation in the body.

Watermelon does not contain any bad fat or cholesterol.

In ancient Egypt, watermelons were placed in burial tombs to nourish the soul after they had passed.

Watermelon only began growing in China in the 10th century and Europe in the 13th century.

But to me, the most amazing fact about watermelon is that the part most people discard–the rind–can be carved into the most beautiful designs!

okay, technically not the rind…but it’s gorgeous!
same comment…it’s gorgeous!

And then, of course, there are the whimsical carvings…

So, get them while they’re in season!!

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Published by pat frederick

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147 thoughts on “National Watermelon Day!”

  6. If y’all recall, I described tossing a few cuke seeds in one of the big barrels I always used for my tomatoes – just for shits and giggles to see if they would come up. They were 3 years old, after all. Two of the 3 came up and I had already gotten 2 cukes from them. Then the blazing sun started – they were not at all in an appropriate location for cukes – and burned them up, in spite of me covering them with a light-colored sheet.

    Problem was…..how to move that huge barrel that was filled with planting soil, the cuke vines up and around in the tomato cage, making it top heavy….by myself. I realized that I had a hand truck but the tires needed air. OK, you’ve got an air compressor – use it! Off I go, getting out the extension cord, trying to air up the tire – one of the valve stems had come loose….after fiddling with it, I was able to hold it in place long enough to air up the tire.

    Grab the zip lock baggie of bungie cords and hand truck and off give it a shot. I was able to inch the flat side up against the back and onto the bottom brace on the hand truck. I had to use 3 bungee cords, pulled SUPER tight – two at the top, one at the bottom – to keep it on the truck. I hauled that sucker 75 feet to the shed – the first 40 feet were filled with small holes and valleys. But only twice did it start to tip…..now it should thrive and I can look forward to many cukes, which I can scarf down these days with Ranch Dressing. I am trying to switch the smoking habit to an eating habit….look closely…..

    My project of feeder-to-planter…..I enjoy going out towards the end of the planting season and scooping up deals. I did that a couple of days ago at Bomgaars in Creighton, and at J&H Produce, which is on the way to Creighton. J&H has a big operation of landscaping plants and veggies, but a small area of decorative plants. At the end of the season, she puts all of the decorative stuff that is left out on folding tables, marked with the prices – it is all on the honor system – in all the years I’ve been going there (since 2014) I’ve seen her one time – never anyone else.

    One year, I got 2 simply gorgeous Fuschia plants – red and purple – for $5. This time, I got a 5-pack of 4″ Vinca vines as well as a dark red Clematis that I have been searching for for at least five years. For my Uncle Sam display…..it’s a sorry looking little thing right now but I’m doing my magic and it will be fine and ready by next spring for transplanting.

    Ah, yes, the feeder-to-planter……I made extra sure this time that I did these right. I painstakingly shook/picked loose all the planting material, while not damaging the roots, in order to get them thru the small window. There is a hump in the center of the floor so I had to carefully push them all the way down on each side in order to get enough dirt over the roots. I used my fingers, a flashlight, a small teaspoon and slowly got 2 of them planted. Then I took the loose planting material and added it back around the plants from the top. I am now watering them with a syringe! ROFL – am I silly or what????

    Three extra Vinca vines…..just in case….

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I’ve been having so much fun. IDK if you remember, but there is an Aztec God-looking statue underneath the Trumpet Vine arbor. I am now training one vine on each side and keeping everything else pruned.

        I found a solar light on sale for $3.00 with the same clear crackle glass as my others and I could make it just the right height to go inside the statue and have the light shining out thru the eyes, nose, mouth, etc. with the sensor high enough to catch the sun. What I didn’t know is that it can be set for clear, white light or a revolving red/green/blue light. LOL – looks kind of freaky!

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  7. Y’all know about my garden beds but I was able to pick up end of season stuff (yeah!) and added some things. I finally got new swivels for my whirligigs – metal cut outs of a hummer and a flower (purple – on the left end) and a US flag (red – on the right end), which is hung so that the flag is upside down. They spun so much that they wore right thru the old ones several years ago.

    I now have nectar, grape jelly, thistle/finch seed, meal worms, regular bird seed and a suet cake out there. That should just about satisfy all of them and I do love just sitting and watching them all.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you, my dear! HB said that once when she and I walked out into the yard in the evening once. It really is very pleasant and so quiet and peaceful, for the most part. Just an occasional yayhoo spinning tires on the gravel road but not often, thankfully.

        I also have 2 black old-style metal and glass lanterns with doors that open and close and receptacles for tea lights inside that are somewhat protected from the wind. I am going to hang them out on the ends of the frame on the garden beds on quiet nights…plug in the low-light party lights on the patio, grab my cocktail glass of RumChata over ice, and sit and enjoy the sounds of the night…..so very relaxing.

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  10. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

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  12. EXCERPT: “The U.K. family of a 27-year-old engineer who died from catastrophic brain bleeds after receiving AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is eyeing legal action, pending an upcoming preliminary review of their son’s case.

    Jack Last, who was vaccinated March 30, 2021, died three weeks after receiving the AstraZeneca jab. A CT scan on April 10, 2021, revealed Last had developed a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), which occurs when a blood clot forms in the brain’s venous sinuses and prevents blood from draining out of the brain. CVST causes blood cells to break and leak blood into the brain tissues, forming a hemorrhage.

    Last died at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, U.K., on April 20, 2021 — 11 days after he sought medical treatment for severe headaches. His family retained legal counsel after raising concerns about the circumstances leading to Jack’s death, the East Anglian Daily Times reported. In a statement to the media, Michael Portman-Hann, an attorney with FBC Manby Bowdler’s clinical negligence team, said:

    “Concerns about the risk of blood clots in under-30s who had the Astra Zeneca vaccine were already being aired in health circles, and just a week after Jack had his vaccine, it was withdrawn from use in this age group. …

    “Due to the family’s concerns about Jack’s treatment after the vaccine, we are supporting them to find some answers.”

    According to his family, Last was an avid skier who also enjoyed walking, hiking and camping. He was a licensed private pilot in the U.K. and U.S.

    A pre-inquest review will be held on August 11, after which a full inquest will be scheduled.”

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/jack-last-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-death/

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  13. the new press idiot claims overturning roe v wade was unconstitutional…what a moron
    FTA

    During a White House press briefing on Wednesday, Biden Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre accused the United States Supreme Court of violating the Constitution by ruling that Roe v. Wade was unconstitutional.

    The Supreme Court, representing the top of the judicial branch of the US government that is meant to check the power of both the executive and legislative branches, is an institution designed to be the final arbiter of what the founding document actually means when it comes to the legality of actions taken by the legislative and executive branches.

    Jean-Pierre, speaking on behalf of the White House, disagrees, and adds that by doing their job and subsequently delivering pro-abortion Democrats an unfavorable outcome, SCOTUS had taken an “unconstitutional action.”

    “The Supreme Court made this extreme decision to take away a constitutional right. It was an unconstitutional action by them,” stated Jean-Pierre. “A right that was around for almost fifty years. A right that women had to make a decision on their bodies and how they want to start their families.”

    Jean-Pierre says it was “unconstitutional” for SCOTUS to overturn Roe. pic.twitter.com/zQyzdZxRh8

    — Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 3, 2022

    Jean-Pierre did not mention exactly how the SCOTUS violated the Constitution, given that the overturning of Roe was conducted in the same manner as every other SCOTUS ruling before it.

    https://valiantnews.com/2022/08/white-house-press-sec-unconstitutional-for-supreme-court-to-overturn-roe-v-wade/

    Liked by 1 person

            1. Very much like them, just slight variations in coloring mostly. All ground squirrels have the identical pattern on their backs – a series of almost dots-and-dashes along with the occasional stripe – at least the ones here.

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