Personal Watermelons

The nostalgia some Arkansans have for big, heavy, oblong watermelons isn’t shared by folks elsewhere around the country, reports Kim Severson in the New York Times (8/18/10). "When I was growing up, the guys were always talking big melons," says Lloyd Bright, who lives in Hope, Arkansas (which, in itself, may explain the comment). He also holds the record for having grown the world’s largest watermelon, weighing in at 268 pounds and 8 ounces (image). The trend, however, is toward smaller, rounder watermelons — without seeds, of course (only about 20 percent of melons sold in the US today have seeds).

Purists think that these "personal watermelons" lack the personality, character and flavor of old-fashioned melons. But for farmers and consumers, the smaller melons make more sense. "You can handle them better and stack them better," says Ernest Brown, a farmer. In addition, the big watermelons might yield just 40,000 pounds per acre, while the personal size might yield up to 80,000 pounds. Others note that the growing process for traditional watermelons is "chemical heavy."

It is also wasteful, as it involves "culling plenty of healthy, unripe fruit to let the vine turn its attention to the most promising watermelon." And as far as consumers are concerned, the smaller melons are more practical, as well: "Most people, particularly urban people, would rather have a small one," says Dr. Terry Kirkpatrick of the University of Arkansas. "With the big ones, you fill up all your Tupperware containers and you’re still not done." Terry still prefers the old-fashioned varieties, though: "I grew up in the country, and the ability to spit seeds is something that is an art," he says. "You just have to spit seeds once in a while."