In this issue:
Local
watermelons are "hot"
Past newsletter issues now online
Local watermelons
We've all suffered
through the recent heat wave and the seemingly unrelated
burden of high fuel costs. But from this double whammy
of bad news comes one piece of "hot" news. There is a
bumper crop of locally grown, organic watermelons this year,
several weeks earlier than usual, at a great price.
Starting this week,
you'll find these colorful and refreshingly tasty
watermelons from Goodness Greeness at your local market.
First, the heat related
news. Due to the recent heat wave, local organic
growers are picking and shipping watermelons several weeks
earlier than usual. And since watermelons are a
heat-loving crop, the growers are getting great yields, with
outstanding flavor.
Next, the fuel related
news. Due to the high costs of fuel, the
transportation costs of watermelons per pound are higher
than the per pound cost of the watermelon itself. So,
for example, for watermelons from the southwest and
California, more of your purchase price is going to
transportation than to the product itself. By
contrast, locally grown watermelons do not have to be
shipped nearly as far, so the impact of the premium from
soaring fuel prices is considerably lower.
Color and flavor
The first locally grown
watermelons of the season come primarily from Amish growers
in Ontario and Iowa, and starting next week, from Wisconsin.
We have worked with some of these growers for fourteen years
now and we are delighted (for them and for you) to see their
bumper crop. (See our article in
Issue #29 of Organics for you from two weeks ago
for more on the Amish organic grower community).
This first-of-the-season
local organic watermelon crop comes in a variety of sizes, shapes
and colors:
Ladybug
watermelon, a small, oblong melon with yellow flesh,
Sorbet
Swirl watermelon, yellow flesh with a hint of red/orange,
Sugar
Baby, the classic sweet tasting small watermelon.
Also, great tasting
organic muskmelons are now available from these fine
growers.
Nutrition
We all think of
watermelons as a refreshing treat on a hot day in the middle
of summer and a treat that kids love. But, we don't
necessarily think of watermelon as a particularly nutritious
treat.
Well, think again!
It turns out that watermelon is surprisingly nutritious,
with some sources calling it "the natural multi-vitamin".
Melons are a great source of vitamins A, B6 and C and
potassium. Plus, they are extremely low in sodium and
contain virtually no fat! In fact, the American Heart Association
recently recognized the watermelon with the "heart healthy"
seal of approval. But there's more!
Watermelons contain
lycopene, an anti-oxidant. According to the USDA,
watermelons rank the highest among all fresh fruits
and vegetables in lycopene. This anti-oxidant protects
cells from oxygen-related damage occurring from both normal
cell usage.
A number of studies have
also linked lycopene to the prevention of heart disease,
strokes and certain cancers (including prostate cancer).
Shopping and storage tips
In selecting a watermelon
at the market, 1) make sure the melon is firm, without cuts
or bruises, 2) make sure that it is "heavy" for it's size
(watermelon is 92% water) and has dried out and 3) make sure
the underside has a yellowish mark, indicating that the
melon was sun-ripened.
Once you get it home,
store the watermelon at room temperature or no lower than 55
degrees. It will last six to ten days at this
temperature. If you refrigerate the whole melon at 32
degrees, it will only last a few days.
However, if you slice the
melon, you should wrap and store the slices at 37 to 39
degrees.
Contact
us
You can find
many varieties of organic watermelon, along with a rich variety of organic
fruits and vegetables, from Goodness Greeness at your local market.
Email us
at
newsletter@goodnessgreeness.com if you can't find them and we'll help you
locate them.
Past
issues online
As you know if you've
been reading this weekly newsletter for awhile, there is a
lot of information on organic fruits and vegetables, their
nutritional qualities, availability, shopping and
preparation tips. If you're like me, you often want to
find that one tip that you read -maybe two months ago (or
was it three?).
You can now access all of
the past issues of Organics for you on our web site (www.goodnessgreeness.com).
Click on the Newsletter link at the top of any page on the
site. There you'll find a quick index of all past
issues. Select the back issue you want, click on the
issue # and, voila, through the wonders of modern
technology, you'll find that tip that you were looking for.
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