Lets Talk Watermelon

Most of us don't realize that there is more to watermelon than just the sweet watery pinkish red flesh that we normally consume.  Now, from my days working at The Ann Wigmore Foundation, I learned that  the white part of the watermelon is very edible and quite good for us, though finding the nutritional content is challenging, as the national data base provided by the USDA, is most likely just giving the nutrients that are contained in  the  red/pink flesh, and though delicious, it is not the most nutrient dense food out there....

The white part of the rind, while less sweet and a bit harder, most likely contains more nutrients than the sweet pink flesh.  Its taste is a bit like a cucumber.  As you might recall, we used it in  summertime, as a part of Energy Soup.  We also juiced watermelon regularly.  There is some debate over whether or not you should peel the watermelon's outer rind (green part) before juicing.  I found only one site alluding to the fact that consuming the outer green part can cause indigestion as well as suggesting that the nutrients are challenging to access from the green.  However the same site had a plethora of recipes for the white rind.  http://watermelonrind.com/.  Other sites seemed to suggest, at least for juicing, that juicing the green with the white is fine, and likely more beneficial.  If the watermelon is inorganic, I would definitely peel the outer layer.  If not, it appears for juicing there is a differences of opinion, some touting health benefits and others suggesting to peel the melon.  So this one must be left to your personal discretion.

Now the seeds were of question to me.  Are they edible?  All the sites I visited said yes, with one even pointing out the nutrients contained therein http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3147/2  However, realize, the nutrients presented are for a cup of dried watermelon seeds.  So the likelihood of my eating a cup of these seeds is slim, and when compared to other seeds, they are not superior, but from my search, apparently safe to ingest.

So enjoy the fresh watermelon that abounds, but don't toss out the best parts!  Check out the recipes for using watermelon rind in the link above and all over the internet!