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Tag: watermelons

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melons

Watermelon Rind: is it edible?

We all know the benefits – both in taste and nutrients – of eating watermelon. But did you know the watermelon rind also contains a lot of additional vitamins and minerals?

Because lets face it, there is lot of the watermelon that turns to waste once we cut, dice or portion it…so lets look at some ways we can make use of the rind!

According to Northwestern Health Sciences University, the watermelon rinds are lower in sugar and higher in fiber than the flesh of a watermelon. When eaten with the the rest of the melon, it helps slow down sugar absorption in the gut and mellows the rise in blood sugar.

So what is the watermelon rind?

It is is the inside of the watermelon between the green skin and the red watermelon flesh. Some varieties we have are thin-skinned varieties, which means you have very little waste once you’ve portioned your red watermelon!

But believe it or not, you can put the rind to good use and there’s a few reasons why…

Extra nutrient boost

While watermelon contains a host of benefits for those doing intense workouts or training programmes (not to mention the massive hydration boost!) a lot of extra nutrients can be found in the rind!

The rind contains L-citrulline. This is an amino acid with antiozidant, anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective effects. This boosts athletic performance and may help reduce blood pressure.

And did you know yellow watermelons have 3 x more citrulline in the rind that red watermelons?

Add to your Skincare Routine

Sunburnt? Look no further than a watermelon rind next time! It is reported that Korean grandmothers used to rub watermelon rinds on sunburn, rashes or irritated skin to soother it and help it recover faster. They are related to cucumbers after all, both being members of the cucurbitaceae family.

How to prepare watermelon rind:

Once you have prepared your watermelon how you like it – chunks, slices or however your family like to enjoy it most. Set the skins aside and taking a knife, carefully remove the green ‘skin’ and set aside the watermelon rind ( the white layer right next to the vibrant pink flesh ).

Watermelon Rind
Categories
Fresh melons

Pollination for Watermelons

Bees play a vital role in our ecosystem.

They also pay a vital role in the pollination of watermelons – both for plant yields and to ensure the melons are healthy, sweet tasting and a good shape.

Watermelon, rockmelon and honeydew melon are all dependent on insect pollinators to help produce the high quality, large fruits.

On a watermelon, each variety produces separate male and female flowers on one plant. Pollinators, or in this case, bees, are needed to transfer pollen from the male to female flowers for fruit to be produced.

Watermelon flowers open in the early morning hours and close in the afternoon. The weather also plays a part in a good pollination of the watermelon flowers as if it is grey and rainy weather on the days the flowers are open, the bees won’t be as active in the field. This causes lower yields and the fruit won’t be as sweet.

With Rockmelon and Honeydew varieties, each vine contains a mix of male flowers and fruit-producing flowers. They flowers don’t need other plants to cross-pollinate, but they do need pollinators, such as bees, to dislodge the pollen and move it onto the stigma for seed set and fruit development. Flowers that are cross-pollinated have been shown to produce heavier fruit than those pollinated from flowers on the same plant.

Good pollination is a result of a few different factors:

Weather –  The weather plays a key part in a good pollination of the watermelon flowers as if it is grey and rainy weather on the days the flowers are open, the bees won’t be as active in the field. This causes lower yields and the fruit won’t be as sweet.

Health of the Bees – it requires careful management of the hives to ensure the hives are healthy.

Land Management – some bees will visit other preferred crops or plants if they are also in flower on the same block.

HIVE MANAGEMENT

Fieldco has their own bees and hives [pictured] that are managed by Denver, one of our Field Team leaders. This gives us greater control on our pollination rates and ensures our melon fields are healthy and thriving.

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