Does anything celebrate summer more than a watermelon?

And here I was about to investigate all kinds of melons, starting with cantaloupe.

That said, just consider:

1. A watermelon is one of the few foods to be classified as both a fruit and a vegetable. Wish I could count it twice on my daily dietary requirements but guess that would be cheating.
2. It’s a relative of both pumpkins and cucumbers.
3. It’s far and away the most popular melon in America.
4. There are more than 1,200 varieties, but the seedless hybrids are the only ones you’ll likely find nowadays at the market, at least in the USA.
5. Those seedless versions aren’t genetically modified. Technically, they’re simply sterile with white seeds that are perfectly safe to eat.
6. Watermelons originate in Africa and have been cultivated in Egypt for 5,000 years. That’s why they really do need a long stretch of summer.
7. Based on weight, watermelon is the most consumed fruit in America.
8. It’s 92 percent water yet rich in vitamins and contains only six percent sugar. By the way, there’s no bad fat or cholesterol.
9. Its flesh isn’t always red – orange, green, yellow, or white are other options.
10. In Japan they’re grown in glass boxes to maintain the unnatural cubed shape.