Luscious Heirloom watermelons for the American Gardener

摘要

What other homegrown "fruit-vegetable" kindles as much love and laughter as a good old-fashioned watermelon? Picture friends and family at a farmhouse kitchen table or in the back yard, picnicking in the shade of a catalpa tree. Everyone is sated fromSunday dinner. There's a pause in activity and a somnolent lull. But soon enough it's time for dessert: an heirloom watermelon, harvested fully ripe and allowed to cool overnight in a tub of water. When thumped, it makes a dull punk sound. When cleft with a knife, it snaps and rumbles, cracking open to reveal an expanse of crisp and juicy red flesh with glistening black seeds. Everyone grabs a slice and dives in. Kids make mischief and spit seeds. This same scenario is impossible to imagine with a seedless—and to my mind soulless—watermelon.