Why do watermelons taste so bad these days?

[Van]

Well if you want a really good melon then grow it yourself and do what a good farmer does and fertilize it with straight manure and keep it watered. There is another way involving manure that makes them incredibly sweet but I dont think anyone wants to hear about it.

 

[riffjim4069]

I'll pass on growing my own...I have an anti-green thumb.

 

[navychop]

I am reasonably successful with my garden, but haven't had much success with melons. I haven't access anymore to fresh manure. I gather you are referring to manure tea.

Next watermelon will be seeded. Gotta be a smaller one, big ones will rot before we finish. I remember getting dark green round ones many years ago that were super. Current ones are not the same.

 

[mdonnelly]

You need to come up here to Rush Springs for the watermelon festival in August. Sweet, juicy, crisp, ...

Watermelon Festival 2010

 

[navychop]

I'd like to. Where is Rush Springs?

Just checked. OK is a bit far....

 

[riffjim4069]

It's amazing how much I hav learned about watermelons from this thread, researching on the net, and talking to folks at the local farmer's markets. A good rule of thumb is to avoid the grocery stores (especially Wal-Mart) and the seedless variety.

 

[tigerprowler]

You are making me want to eat watermelon so bad with this thread. The smell gives me a terrible headache, but I still like to eat them. It's been quite awhile since we've had a watermelon. I'm thinking we need to go down to our farmer's market tomorrow and see what they have.

 

[flyboy01]

Watermelons are really good

 

[riffjim4069]

I've eaten so much watermelon over the past two-weeks I am almost getting tired of them. Almost. I picked-up a Texas melon yesterday and I plan to cut into it tomorrow. Still looking for that infamous Sugarland watermelon.

 

[mdonnelly]

Our watermelons are growing in the back yard. Those vines have just about taken over the garden. They grow faster than the weeds.

 

[riffjim4069]

My brother attempts to grow watermelon every year. He lives in Michigan and is always disappointed when they grow to the size of a cucumber.

 

[Paul Wozniak]

Riff, you need top go to Eastern Market. Got a good one there last Saturday.

 

[riffjim4069]

Riff, you need top go to Eastern Market. Got a good one there last Saturday.

Paul, I was there not too long ago...lots of flowers and plants but not much produce until after mid-July. I'll drop by the next time I'm in town.

 

[navychop]

Riff, you need top go to Eastern Market. Got a good one there last Saturday.

Had to laugh. At my wife's insistence, we went to a different Eastern Market, in SE DC, recently. We got panhandled 4 times in the couple of blocks from the Metro station. Won't be back, even though the stuff we bought was quite good.

 

[riffjim4069]

Had to laugh. At my wife's insistence, we went to a different Eastern Market, in SE DC, recently. We got panhandled 4 times in the couple of blocks from the Metro station. Won't be back, even though the stuff we bought was quite good.

I worked in SE DC (Navy Yard) for a few years but there is no way in heck I would walk the nearby streets after dark. Many people don't realize how bad the neighborhoods are right next door to Congress.

 

[mdonnelly]

I worked in SE DC (Navy Yard) for a few years but there is no way in heck I would walk the nearby streets after dark. Many people don't realize how bad the neighborhoods are right next door to Congress.

Ah, memories. I went to language school at the Anacostia Annex in 1970-71. Took the AF bus from Andrews every morning down the Suitland Pkwy.

 

[navychop]

Another bad neighborhood is around the shipyard in Portsmouth VA.

 

[Lazybird000]

My brother attempts to grow watermelon every year. He lives in Michigan and is always disappointed when they grow to the size of a cucumber.

it is still fruit!!

 

[riffjim4069]

I kinda got feed-up of Watermelon about a month ago...but I had some prettu good ones. Anyway, I picked-up a grocery store bought seedless melon here in VA a couple days ago (it was both cheap and convenient) and it was horrible. Never again! Anyway, I am going to pick-up a couple of melons down in Texas this weekend and I noticed an Internet watermelon slap test. OK, I've slapped melons...but does anyone truly know what a good watermelon sounds like?

"With an open palm, slap the watermelon. A high-pitched tone indicates green or under-ripe product. A dull sound or dead thud indicates an over-ripe melon. A deep-pitched tone indicates a melon that is ripe. Slap a number of melons one after the other and you will be able to hear the differences in tone."

 

[Bobby]

But can you play a tune?