“When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what the angels eat.” – Mark Twain
On what day is National Watermelon Day celebrated? August 3
What is National Watermelon Day? Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Made up of 92% water, this refreshing fruit is perfect for the hot days of summer!
Here are some fun facts about watermelon:
- Watermelon rinds are edible and are full of nutrients. In China, the rinds are often stir-fried or stewed. In the South, cooks like to pickle them. Across the Middle East and China, the seeds are dried and roasted, similar to pumpkin seeds.
- Seedless watermelons are a result of hybridization, or breeding two strands of watermelon with each other. Those white “seeds” are actually empty seed coats and are perfectly safe to eat.
- The heaviest watermelon to date was grown by Guinness World Record holder Chris Kent, of Sevierville, Tennessee, in 2013. It weighed in at 350.5 pounds (the equivalent of an NFL lineman).
- Watermelons are a great source of lycopene, an antioxidant that’s been shown to reduce the risk of several types of cancers, including cancers that affect the prostate, lung and stomach.
- Japanese farmers have perfected the art of growing square watermelons.
- In 2007, the Oklahoma State Senate honored its then-14th biggest crop by voting 44–2 to make it the state vegetable. Why not fruit? That distinction was already given to the strawberry.
Who founded this day? The creator of National Watermelon Day is unknown.
What is the hashtag? Use #NationalWatermelonDay when posting to social media.
How to celebrate: Celebrating National Watermelon Day is easy! Simply, eat watermelon.
Here are some unusual ways that you may want to try:
- Add it to a salad
- Make it into salsa
- Turn it into flavored water
- Flavor lemonade
- Add it to a smoothie
- Make popsicles
- Add it to a margarita or cocktail
What other national days are there for fruit?
- March 21- National California Strawberry Day
- May 13- National Fruit Cocktail Day
- August 25- National Banana Split Day
- August 26- National Cherry Popsicle Day
- December 1- National Eat a Red Apple Day
There are many other national days relating to fruit. In fact, National Day Archives has a separate category just for food!