Each year, as spring pushes winter aside and the air warms, there are certain thoughts, certain cravings that return after months of absence. For many, one of those cravings is for watermelon.
Watermelons are grown in 44 of the continental United States. If you purchase watermelons in a western state, chances are they were grown in California or Arizona. If you purchase them in a mid-western or eastern state, they are more likely to have been grown in Florida, Georgia, or Texas. If you really crave watermelon for New Year’s Day, you can probably get one, since they are imported from Mexico. Domestic melons, however, come into season in May and are around until the end of October. The season’s peak is from May through August.
While watermelons are abundant, it isn’t so easy to find certified organic seedless watermelon.
Up-front Advice
If you research carefully, you will learn that, technically, there cannot be such a thing as a certified organic seedless watermelon. Why? A certified organic seedless watermelon is a genetically altered watermelon. The genetic alteration is done chemically.
To create a seedless watermelon, seed producers treat natural watermelon seed with Colchicines, a chromosome-altering chemical. Colchicines changes the chromosome number in the seeds from 2 to 4. Once this is done, the seeds are pollinated with the natural 2 chromosome watermelon. The result is an un-natural, genetically modified watermelon with 3 chromosomes.
Continue your research and you will learn, as I did, that plants must have an even number of chromosomes to reproduce. Since the un-natural, genetically modified watermelon now has 3 chromosomes, it cannot form seeds. You get a seedless melon.
A watermelon that is touted as certified organic seedless watermelon may be grown organically, but chemicals were used in the production of the seeds. You will have to decide your own definition of “organic” to decide whether or not you want the melon.
If you still want to find certified organic seedless watermelon, you have options.
Order Online
The Internet, which seems to have about anything you could want, includes stores that will ship certified organic seedless watermelon to your door. Of course, it has to be in season.
1. Cherry Moon Farms offers organic fruit delivery, and guarantees that the fruit will arrive fresh or your money back.
2. Diamond Organics offers “next-day” delivery of organic fruits, vegetables, and a host of other things. They guarantee that everything will be as you want it. If it isn’t, they will replace the item on your next order, or issue a refund.
Farmer’s Markets
If there is a farmer’s market in your area, you may be able to buy certified organic seedless watermelon there. If you know someone at your farmer’s market who grows organic produce, you could call them early in the spring and request that they plant certified organic seedless watermelon.
Grocery Stores
Check your local grocery stores for certified organic seedless watermelon. More and more are establishing an organic subdivision in the produce section. Some grocery stores try to honor customer requests, too, and may order in certified organic seedless watermelon if you ask for it.
Plant Your Own
You may want to plant your own certified organic seedless watermelon. Names of choices to ask for include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Everglade Hybrid Watermelon
2. Lemon Ice Hybrid Watermelon
3. Orange Sunshine Hybrid Watermelon
4. Big Tasty Seedless Hybrid Watermelon
Watermelons With Seeds
If you decide that certified organic seedless watermelon is not organic enough for your tastes, you might want to grow a container or row of your own organic watermelon. An easy, delicious melon to grow on your patio is sugar baby – and yes, organic seed companies such as Main Street Seed and Supply have certified organic seeds for this watermelon. It produces round watermelons, about 7″ to 8.5″ and weighing 8 to 12 pounds. The name tells you what to expect. It’s probably worth the seeds!
Spring is in the air and … summer is around the corner! I know a lot of people have been contacting me about getting themselves and their bodies ready for da-da- DUM …BATHING SUIT SEASON.
For those of us who live in the more northern part of the country and did not go anywhere tropical during the last six months, this can be an intimidating time. Our skin (and everything underneath it) has been tucked away, protected and hidden beneath beautiful sweaters and warm scarves. Now it is time to let every part of you take a deep breath of summer sun. Here we go!
Bathing Suit Season – a Nutritional Guide
Two important concepts to keep in mind when looking at your food in preparation for your summer self is 1) to start, try to love your body right where it is now 2) be willing to allow your food habits to change. Take into consideration that your body WANTS to change what it is eating. As mentioned in previous editions the springtime is the perfect time for the body to “go light”. If you listen closely I bet you can hear your body asking for different food, lighter food, and less food. To allow yourself to make these changes follow these guidelines:
1) Do Not Skip Meals –Eat small meals or snacks containing some PROTEIN every few hours to keep blood-sugar levels steady. Do not to let more than 3 hours go between eating. This will help keep your blood sugar stable and avoid ravenous hunger which often leads to overeating. Low blood sugar and extreme hunger are a dangerous combination.
2) Keep Healthy Snacks Around – whether you like crunch, salt or sweet, take care and prep ahead to have some energy rich™ food available for yourself. The worst type of pre-summer sabotage is stopping somewhere UNKNOWN for just A LITTLE SOMETHING to HOLD YOU OVER. Use some of these Healthy Snack Ideas or create your own.
Crunch • lite popcorn, or plain popcorn popped in paper bag in microwave/ or use coconut oil to pop in a covered pan
• frozen grapes
• 1 – 2 hard pretzels – the large Bavarian variety
• apple
• carrots – particularly the super sweet, organic baby carrots
Sweet
• organic carrots (category cross over on this one!)
• organic yogurt and over ripe fruit – all kinds of flavors to enjoy • fresh, whole fruit
• leftover grains – (i.e. brown rice, quinoa, spelt) drizzle maple syrup and cinnamon; add soy milk and bananas, heat and enjoy warm oatmeal-like porridge, cook grains in fruit juice (i.e. apple),
• smoothies – mix any of the following – whatever you have in the kitchen: fruit, ice…soy milk, yogurt, protein powder, carob powder, fruit juice, etc…
Salty
• tortilla chips and fresh salsa – try whole grain chips such as “Garden of Eatin” Brand in health food stores and try freshly made salsa vs. shelved and processed stuff.
• pickles
• fresh lime/lemon juice as seasonings or in beverage
3) Dandelion Greens – That’s right. This pesky flower has leaves that are a magic component of winter weight loss. This common “weed” of the composite family is a powerful restorative to the liver. It’s also rich in minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, selenium and zinc, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B3,and C. Ounce for ounce, dandelion contains more carotene than carrots. Dandelion also cleanses the blood and liver (the organ most associated with Spring in Traditional Chinese Medicine), and increases bile production. Go clean to get lean!
4) Fruits - Fruits are cool and juicy, so they get you the water you need to stay hydrated and they also provide the vitamins and nutrients that fat-free snack foods don’t. Eating a lot of fruit does not work for everyone, but if you are a person who does well with fruit “Spring Lightening” can include eating a lot of fruits.
To your energy and success, Heather
Heather Dominick, “The Energy Expert” is an energy and nutrition specialist with over 10 years of teaching and coaching experience. Heather’s primary focus is in helping others identify sources for increasing physical energy and making permanent lifestyle changes. To sign up to receive your free chapter of the famed e-Book “Get EnergyRICH™”, for her freebie how-to articles and no-charge teleclasses on creating your most energized life, visit http://www.individual-health.net
Today Oprah has let everyone know why eating organically is so important.
“In honor of our Earth—I love her—I’m asking all of you today to implement just one green idea to help the fight against global warming.”
—Oprah
Oprah’s Organic Guru, Sophie Uliano, says you don’t need to buy everything organic, sometimes it’s not available but there are some fruits and vegetables that you definitely want to buy organically because they are the most heavily sprayed.
“Look for organic raisins, potatoes, green beans, cucumbers and strawberries. Can’t find them organically? Make your own veggie spray with grapefruit seed extract—found at your local health food store—to help wash away any chemicals that could be on your fruit. Rinsing simply isn’t enough. “All you do is spray it on the vegetables, leave it for 5 or 10 minutes and rinse them off, and you’ve got rid of a lot of pesticide residue,” Sophie says.”
Read more about what Oprah, Sophie and Julia Roberts say about organic on Oprah.com by clicking here
Sandra Bullock says she like to keep everything organic, including her household cleaners.
Sandra Bullock’s Homemade Window Cleaner
3 tablespoons Vinegar
1/3 teaspoon of Liquid Vegetable Soap (eg Castile soap)
2 cups water
To get streak-free windows, Sandra mixes three tablespoons of vinegar, a third of a teaspoon of pure liquid vegetable soap, like castile soap, and two cups of water in a recycled spray bottle. “It cleans your windows like crazy,” she says. “Oddly, the vinegar smell doesn’t linger.”
You can also discover how she uses Lemon as a natural disinfectant and how her restaurant cleans the grill using baking soda & vinegar.
