Talk of The Villages Florida - Attention, Watermelon Lovers!

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- - Attention, Watermelon Lovers! (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-non-villages-discussion-93/attention-watermelon-lovers-351378/)

☆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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimdecastro (Post 2349883)

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!

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryLBell (Post 2349599)

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!

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marmaduke (Post 2349878)

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeRoySmith (Post 2349618)

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

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shipping up to Boston (Post 2349600)

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

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”

Quote:

Originally Posted by mntlblok (Post 2349957)

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelevision (Post 2349982)

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?

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryLBell (Post 2349599)

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryLBell (Post 2351967)

So, have you tried his seedless version?? TIA

Quote:

Originally Posted by mntlblok (Post 2351984)

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.