Tuesday, July 24, 2007
New Low-Sugar Watermelon Varieties
The Agricultural Research Service, part of the US Department of Agriculture, has developed two new varieties of watermelon that have less than half the sugar of conventional varieties. The researcher, Angela Davis, is "currently sharing the new watermelon stock with interested growers," which I'm guessing means that you shouldn't be looking for them this summer. It will take time to create enough for commercial seed stock and then for growers to actually have them in stores.
The sugary taste we associate with watermelon is apparently a recent development. Companies have bred the fruit (OK, technically a berry) to be ever sweet. Heirloom varieties actually have about 25 percent less sugar than contemporary types. They had some difficulty getting a real red color, as that often goes hand in hand with sugar, but apparently they've conquered that barrier. And they also have a variety part way between the usual types and this more astringent version.
The sugary taste we associate with watermelon is apparently a recent development. Companies have bred the fruit (OK, technically a berry) to be ever sweet. Heirloom varieties actually have about 25 percent less sugar than contemporary types. They had some difficulty getting a real red color, as that often goes hand in hand with sugar, but apparently they've conquered that barrier. And they also have a variety part way between the usual types and this more astringent version.
Labels: agricultural research service, agriculture, ARS, sugar, USDA, watermelon
