Attention, Watermelon Lovers!
 

I have absolutely LOVED watermelons for nearly 70 years now. I thought they were great in my home state of Michigan, but I was wrong. I moved to North Carolina for 20 years before retiring here and found out that I had never actually tasted a great watermelon until then. I figured it was a combination of soil, rain and sunshine. Then I moved to Florida with great hope and sadly found out that the watermelons here aren't even as good as those in Michigan. Or so I thought!

Two weeks ago I just happened to stop at a pull-off on Micro Racetrack Road where an older fellow in a pickup had some watermelons that looked pretty good, even though he said they were grown in northern Florida. Despite way too many negative experiences in the past, I took a chance and bought one. Once I got it home and chilled, I sliced into it. The rind started cracking in front of the knife cut, showing that this was a ripe one. The end piece rolled off and it was nicely deep red. I spooned a chunk out of the heart and...

THIS MELON WAS FREAKING GREAT!

I gorged on watermelon for two weeks and loved every bite. I pressed my luck and stopped back today and he was still there, still selling good-looking watermelons. I got it home, chilled it and had some this evening and...

THIS MELON WAS EVEN BETTER!!

It was deeper red, even sweeter, even crispier and even better! I am seriously starting to doubt my allegience to North Carolina watermelons.

Now, full disclosure. These are SEEDED watermelons. The long, big ones. These are NOT those solid-dark-green-on-the-outside, pink-on-the-inside, bowling ball-sized watermelons that Publix, Winn Dixie, WalMart, Sam's and everyone else sells. But then, when they bred watermelons to have tiny little immature seeds (there's no such thing as a truly seedless watermelon), they bred out the flavor. Just like they bred the flavor out of apples when they bred them to be prettier and last longer in storage. I bloody HATE seedless watermelons; they just have no d*mned flavor!

If you LOVE watermelons, you need to stop and get one of these bad boys from this guy. If you simply LIKE watermelons, you need to stop and get one of these bad boys from this guy to truly experience what a great watermelon can taste like. If you only ever buy "seedless" watermelons because they "taste just as good", you've been fooling yourself and you need to stop and get one of these bad boys from this guy and remind yourself how truly great seeded watermelons can be.

You may be thinking, "I can't fit a big melon in my little Villages fridge!" Buy one anyway and give half to a neighbor that you especially like. They will love you for it. You will love you for it. Or throw half of it out (what a waste!) and savor the half you kept.

I don't normally endorse folks selling stuff off the side of the road, but I am doing this for the absolutely selfish reason that I want to encourange this guy to continue to get these melons and have them for me to buy and relish. I also want to encourage the farmer(s) who grew these bad boys. Support small business! Especially when what they are selling are so reasonably priced and SO MUCH BETTER than the big businesses!

By the way, watermelons are a GREAT food for you! I guote healthline.com who says, "With a bright red flesh and little seeds embedded throughout, watermelon is packed with a plethora of nutrients and antioxidants that include vitamins A and C." (Emphasis mine)

I'm not sure what this guys hours or days are, but seek him out and get yourself one ASAP. I'm sure you've done something good at some point recently and you need to reward yourself!

The Watermelon Growers Association owes you a dividend check! Nice post!

Wow Jerry, I thought I loved melons but I think you've got me beat. I'll stop and buy one.

We bought 3, and freeze chunks and juice for drinks. We can eat 1/2 a day, they never last. Bet our garbage guys don’t love us but we do use a box to put out the rind.

Sandia!!!! I used to enjoy it best when a small quarter sized hole was bored out of it and a bottle of stoly turned upside down into it to get soaked.

The problem I'm starting to think about is all the huge agri-businesses are shallowing up the produce gene pool by using only those few GMO (genetically modified organism) Monsanto seeds. Instead of 50 varieties of corn, we get 6. This guy's watermelon may be an endangered species, so enjoy now and keep an eye on the future. As we lose variety in our produce we lose the diversity of nutrients and we risk losing everything in a blight. Between them both, Dupont and Monsanto provide 50% of the seeds used in large scale agri-business. Not terribly hard for an adverse government (rhymes with China) to create their own targeted diseases to wipeout our food supply.

Here's the wikipedia link to Monsanto: Monsanto - Wikipedia

For my tastes hard to beat Midwest River bottom grown Black Diamond watermelon chilled in ice water. I have yet in last 40 years experience a good watermelon. Some are just editable. And others go into trash.

. Maybe if I get off my lazy duff give his try?

Are you going to give Jerry's recommendation a try?

I rarely get down to micro racetrack road. But if I do and watermelon man still there ? YES! Yes! yes..

I have passed by him many times, but never stopped. I will definitely stop next time I see him. Thanks for the tip.

What's the guy's price for one of these melons? Did he mention which days he's usually at the spot? We're not "big" watermelon eaters, so we'd probably give most of it to neighbors. If the price is right I'll take a drive down Monday and see if the guy's there.

You have me intrigued! Where must I go to find such a treat?

I don't know the guys hours or days. I've got the last melon on Friday and the previous one on either a Wednesday or a Thursday.

He charges ten bucks for one of these. That's more than a sale-priced "seedless" watermelon but is more than twice as much to eat and about a bazillion times better.

Previously, I have bought seeded watermelons at a couple of places around here. There's a fruit stand on 27 just short of where you get on the southbound Florida Turnpike and they charge $20 and aren't remotely as good as this. The fruit & veggie guy at the Brownwood farmer's market on Saturdays in front of Scooples has started bring in a couple of seeded watermelons each week. He was charging eight bucks if I recall and they weren't bad, but not as good as the Micro Racetrack guy (I will have to ask for his name next time I get a melon as it's kind of disrespectful to keep referring to him as "that guy").

If this is the same man who use to be on 441 towards Fruitland Park, his name is Mr Webster

Where they sell black diamonds. Usually north of florida line. The are deep green large full of seeds with yellowish bottom.

Black Diamond Watermelon - Facts.net

☆Ode to a Watermelon☆

I think it's telling
You love your watermelon
Seeded is the best
Be Done! With the Rest.

You say it's juicy and sweet
You say it can't be beat
I know it's true
as you gave us a clue,
you've eaten more than a few.

This is not spin
Juice is seen dripping off your chin
As you gleen that big wide grin
We all know where you've been!

Thank you for the broadcast far and wide
We hear you and will abide
We're in the Mode
To go to Micro Racetrack Road

We'll bring our treasure back home
We'll chill it and leave it alone
We'll seek to prove you right or wrong
But, I believe we'll ALL sing out Your Song!

(I loved your post). Spit out the seeds, like we did a kids! Fun!!

The Villages of Newell and Lake Denham are actually on an old watermelon farm but I also find the watermelons here not great.

Which is why Franklin Recreation Center down there is watermelon themed. Unlike Don Wiley, I think it’s super cute. LOL!

Probably Georgia rattlesnake Or Carolina cross variety watermelons which are very good grown in right soil?

Limerick
 

Watermelons he did adore
With giant seeds galore
He bit into one
And when he was done
He hurried right back for more.

Seeds
 

Those seeds won't grow in your stomach??

With enough salt, and cold enough, I can still enjoy the seedless ones. Do prefer the cube shaped bites over those scooped spheres. Could probably talk the wifey into removing the seeds for me if they're really that much better. . .

Plant a watermelon on my grave and let that juice seep through
 

Watermelon has been my morning coffee* for many decades - hardly a day goes by without that wake up magic.
Do a short search for ‘watermelon Cleveland clinic ‘and learn how healthy the seeds and rind are.- learn about all the uses for the rind including pickling .
Couple notes from Florida’s sadly-gone Shangri-La institute in Bonita Springs:
1.The white pulp between rind and red has the most nutrients. Just adjust your comfort zone a bit and dig in a little further.
2.melons of all sorts are best eater alone - I usually give 45 minutes before and after and don’t combine.
The age old saying is “melons- eat’em alone or leave ‘em alone”

You sound like me back in the day asking mom to cut the crust on the bread! ;)

Where is this road? I’ve been down it before but don’t remember where I was going at the time. Is it just a short road and you’ll see the truck? How does one find this watermelon man?

By your description it sounds like they are Jubilee Watermelons. Up until the 1970's-1980's that's pretty much all they grew down here, but they are now quite hard to find. They can get very large, typically upwards of 30 pounds. I believe this is one of the reasons they started growing the smaller round shaped watermelons.

Micro Racetrack Road connects 466A/Miller Road to Lake Ella Road in Fruitland Park. If you're on 466A, it's the light across from the Village Self Storage.

That guy on Micro Racetrack sells the best watermelon, not sure if he sells other produce.

I was on Micro Racetrack today (Monday, 7/22) and the watermelon guy was there. I stopped in to buy one as I've nearly finished the last one. He was down to a half-dozen each of the seedless and seeded ones. I found out that he goes up to the north end of the state to buy them on Thursday mornings and is back in the afternoon. He mentioned being there on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and, obviously, he was there on a Monday. So if you don't see him for the next few days, he may just be sold out but check back starting Thursday afternoon.

He told me that the breed of watermelons was "Fantasia" but I can't find any mention of that breed elsewhere so maybe I misheard him. When he found out I'd started this thread, he tried giving me the melon but I let him know that the only reward I was looking for was his continuing to bring these bad boys to the area whenever they are in season.

Seedless?
 

So, have you tried his seedless version?? TIA

Nope. This guy doesn't do samples. When I lived in North Carolina (which has fantastic watermelons and cantaloupes), my wife and I shopped the state farmers market in Raleigh all the time and nearly all of them gave samples. I've tried many, many seedless watermelons there as well as ones from grocery stores there and here and none of them had the combination of sweetness, juiciness and crispness that I desire. I have had friends enthusiastically recommend this variety or that of seedless watermelons and all have disapointed.