Watermelon Facts

We are all familiar with the delicious red sweet part of the watermelon. Well, lets not forget about the rest of this wonderful fruit. It would be wasteful not to utilize the whole fruit. The rind and the seeds are also edible. There are many recipes from different parts of the world including the southern United States describing ways they can be used as a nutritional and tasty food source.

The watermelon is a very versatile food source. The flesh can be eaten raw as a fruit and the rind can be fried and cooked like a vegetable. The watermelon seed can be eaten as a salty snack or stuck on sweetened deserts. Cooks grind the seeds and use like regular flour and melon seed paste. They can also be the ingredients for hot and cold drinks.

As I understand some places they classify the whole watermelon as a vegetable, others as a fruit. Either way not only the red or yellow meaty part can be eaten. The rind and seeds are edible and should be a part of our food source. Obviously since there are recipes, someone is using them as food, but I believe more people should be introduced to the full usage of the watermelon. In some places in Africa they even cook the leaves and add them to their meals or use it as medicine. I believe it is a shame to throw out good food.


Nutritious Watermelon Rind

The watermelon rind contains less sugar and water than the flesh and more fiber. This gives it the heavier consistency and a less sweet taste. Whereas the red flesh has the antioxidant lycopene the white rind has a higher concentration of the amino acid citrulline in it. This is converted to another amino acid arginine which is the precursor for nitric oxide. This will help with blood vessel dilation. Also in the rind is potassium and some vitamin C and B.