Holy Mother of Jesus...there's  Jews walking on water!*

My son Eli has been doing it (Stand Up Paddleboarding or SUP--or as friend Joan calls it, Jesus Boarding) for years on the West Coast, so when he came back East for a visit I rented a board so he could continue to feed his need and I ended up getting hooked too. And during his most recent visit, he helped me pick out a board that would be suitable for an old coot like me --and after a week of Paddling in Bays and Ocean Surf I'm much improved in my skills, and much more confident about handling in wind and waves-- but at the cost of such muscle soreness, I can barely tie my shoes in the morning.  But it's that "good" soreness and I suspect I may even have expanded a couple of millimeters across my shoulders and chest.

After my most challenging Paddle
(approx.10 miles with half of it into the wind in heavy chop) I returned to the house and devoured about half a Watermelon.  It really hit the spot and I got the feeling that it was hitting a lot of spots besides getting me rehydrated--and that the Watermelon was acting like some kind of natural Gatorade...and I've subsequently learned from Dr. Bhimu Patil, director of Texas A&M’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center that "the beneficial ingredients (phyto-nutrients) in watermelon include: lycopene, beta carotene and the rising star among its phyto-nutrients – citrulline – whose beneficial functions are now being unraveled. Among them is the ability to relax blood vessels, much like Viagra does."  

"Citrulline, the precursor to arginine, is found in higher concentrations in the rind of watermelons than the flesh. As the rind is not commonly eaten, two of Patil’s fellow scientists, Drs. Steve King and Hae Jeen Bang, are working to breed new varieties with higher concentrations in the flesh."

And you can pickle the rind (right) -- I found dozens of recipes online ranging from sweet and tangy to tart and spicy...including this simple Southern style one...

Ingredients

                        1/2 small watermelon (about 5 lb.) 

                        3 tablespoons salt 

                        3/4 cup sugar 

                        3/4 cup vinegar

                        2 star anise

Preparation

1. Remove rind from watermelon, leaving a small amount of red flesh attached to rind.  Peel rind, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups cubed). Place in a large bowl.

2. Stir together salt and 3 cups water. Pour over rind. Cover and chill 24 hours. Drain; rinse well.

3. Combine rind, sugar, next 2 ingredients, and 3/4 cup water in a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Cool completely (about 1 hour), stirring occasionally. Cover and chill 24 hours before serving. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.

---Shawn Cirkiel, Parkside, Austin, Texas, Southern Living

Some Japanese Farmers have forced their watermelons to grow into a square shape (for easier storing, shipping and handling) by inserting the melons into square, tempered glass cases while the fruit is still growing on the vine.
 

In addition to the research by Texas A&M, watermelon’s phyto-nutrients are being studied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in Lane, Oklahoma. As an added bonus, these studies have also shown that deep red varieties of watermelon have displaced the tomato as the lycopene king, Patil said. Almost 92 percent of watermelon is water, but the remaining 8 percent is loaded with lycopene, an anti-oxidant that protects the human heart, prostate and skin health.  

“Lycopene, which is also found in red grapefruit, was historically thought to exist only in tomatoes, but now we know that it’s found in higher concentrations in red watermelon varieties.”

Also learned that ... "They store much better uncut if you leave them at room temperature. Lycopene levels can be maintained even as it sits on your kitchen floor. But once you cut it, refrigerate"

And remember...

A Rind is a terrible thing to waste.  

*  No, that's not me...just a digitally available stand-in.