The Wonders of Watermelon: Three Simple, Super Refreshing Recipes (Plus What to Do with Seeds!)
by Jennifer Spaide
A quintessential summertime favorite, watermelon has more benefits than simply providing seed for fast flying ammo against your little bro.This low-calorie, cooling fruit is an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, beta-carotene and lycopene, all powerful antioxidants that help to reduce heart disease, reduce the risk of cancer, and reduce inflammation in the body.It contains B vitamins, especially B6 and B1, which are essential for energy production making watermelon a great food when you need to fuel up.
While the flesh is usually what we like to chow on, don’t leave those seeds for the birds… eat them too!Watermelon seeds are a good source of amino acids and beneficial oils, and they are rich in minerals like magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorous and zinc.The seeds also contain a compound that helps to improve kidney function and lower blood pressure. Many countries snack on roasted watermelon seeds like we do on sunflower seeds.
Roasted Watermelon Seeds
To roast watermelon seeds at home, clean the seeds in water and let them dry.Then drizzle lightly with oil, sprinkle with sea salt and roast in a 325 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.Allow to cool before cracking open the tough black shell and retrieving the tasty kernel hidden inside.
Watermelon Ice Balls
Using a melon baller, scoop out balls of watermelon and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.Freeze for a couple hours before using.Store in a plastic bag in the freezer.Use your watermelon ice balls to chill water, iced tea, lemonade, or other beverages during the summer.
Watermelon Mojito 1 organic lime wedge
4-5 organic mint leaves
1 tsp raw sugar
½ cup organic watermelon juice (see recipe below)
2 oz white rum
Club soda
Ice
To make Watermelon Juice:Juice 2 cups of ripe watermelon in a juicer, or puree in a blender and strain out the pulp with cheesecloth.
To make the Watermelon Mojito:In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle the lime, mint and sugar.Add in the watermelon juice, rum, and a handful of ice.Cover and shake vigorously for 1 minute.Fill a highball glass half-way with ice or watermelon ice balls.Pour in the chilled watermelon mojito and top with a splash of club soda.Garnish with a thin slice of watermelon and a sprig of mint.
Watermelon Popsicles
Organic watermelon
Melted organic dark chocolate (optional)
Slice the watermelon into individual serving sizes.Place on a cookie sheet, or plate, lined with parchment paper.Drizzle with melted chocolate.Put watermelon slices in the freezer for an hour, or until ready to eat.This makes a light and refreshing dessert (and the dark chocolate is full of natural antioxidants and lower in sugar than milk chocolate: look for fair-trade varieties).
Want to eat more organic foods to keep healthy but worried about saving money too? Check out How to Eat Organic On the Cheap for info about how to do it.
Federal food regulators pondered Monday whether to say, for the first time, that it's OK to market a genetically engineered animal as safe for people to eat. The Food and Drug Administration is holding two days of hearings on a request to market genetically modified salmon. Ron Stotish, CEO of AquaBounty, the Massachusetts company that made the marketing request, said at the meeting Monday that his company's fish product is safe and environmentally sustainable. Critics, however, call the modified salmon "frankenfish" that could cause allergies in humans and the eventual decimation of the wild salmon population. An FDA advisory committee is reviewing the science of the genetically engineered fish this week and hearing such criticisms as the agency ponders approval. The FDA has already said that the salmon, which grows twice as fast as its conventional "sisters," is as safe to eat as the traditional variety. Whether the public will have an appetite for it is another matter. Genetic engineering is already widely used for crops, but the government until now has not considered allowing the consumption of modified animals. Although the potential benefits - and profits - are huge, many individuals have qualms about manipulating the genetic code of other living creatures. Part of the two-day hearing will focus on labeling of the fish. It is possible that if the modified salmon is approved, consumers would not even know they were eating it. Current FDA regulations only require modified foods to be labeled as such if the food is substantially different than the conventional version, and the agency has said that the modified salmon is essentially the same as the Atlantic salmon. Approval of the salmon would open the door for a variety of other genetically engineered animals, including an environmentally friendly pig that is being developed in Canada or cattle that are resistant to mad cow disease. "For future applications out there the sky's the limit," said David Edwards of the Biotechnology Industry Association. "If you can imagine it, scientists can try to do it." AquaBounty says it would be the first in the world to market genetically engineered fish.The company submitted its first application for FDA approval in 1995, but the agency did not decide until two years ago to consider applications for genetically engineered animals - a move seen as a breakthrough by the biotechnology industry. Genetically engineered - or GE - animals are not clones, which the FDA has already said are safe to eat. Clones are copies of an animal. With GE animals, their DNA has been altered to produce a desirable characteristic. In the case of the salmon, AquaBounty has added a growth hormone from a Chinook salmon that allows the fish to produce their growth hormone all year long. The engineers were able to keep the hormone active by using another gene from an eel-like fish called an ocean pout that acts like an on switch for the hormone, according to the company. Conventional salmon only produce the growth hormone some of the time. In documents released ahead of the hearing, the FDA said there were no biologically relevant differences between the engineered salmon and conventional salmon, and there is a reasonable certainty of no harm from its consumption. FDA scientists speaking Monday said there are very few differences between the modified and conventional fish. Critics have two main concerns: The safety of the food to humans and the salmon's effect on the environment. Because the altered fish has never been eaten before, they say, it could include dangerous allergens, especially because seafood is highly allergenic. They also worry that the fish will escape and intermingle with the wild salmon population, which is already endangered.They would grow fast and consume more food to the detriment of the conventional wild salmon, the critics fear. A wide range of environmental, food safety and consumer groups have argued that more public studies are needed and the current FDA process is inadequate because it allows the company to keep some proprietary information private. Modified foods are regulated under the same process used for animal drugs. "It is outrageous to keep this vital information secret," said Wenonah Hauter, director of the advocacy group Food & Water Watch. "Consumers have a right to know what FDA is trying to allow into our food supply." Dr. Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, says the agency is relying on too little data, much of which is supplied by the company itself. European nations have been much more cautious in embracing engineered foods. Ruediger Rosenthal, a spokesman for Bund-Friends of the Earth Germany, said it is unlikely the modified fish would make it across the Atlantic for sale as many Europeans are very skeptical of genetically modified foods. AquaBounty CEO Stotish countered that the company has more than addressed critics' concerns, and his product has come under much more scrutiny than most food. "This is perhaps the most studied fish in history," he said. "Environmentally this is a very sustainable technology." The company has several safeguards in place to allay concerns. All the fish would be bred female and sterile, though a small percentage may be able to breed. They would be bred in confined pools where the potential for escape would be very low. In its environmental analysis of the fish released earlier this month, the FDA agreed with the company that there are enough safeguards in place. Stotish says the fish would be bred in better conditions than many of the world's farmed salmon, and could be located closer to population centers to help feed more people. The company has also said the increase in engineered salmon production could help relieve endangered wild salmon populations. The company is also arguing that the fish do not need to be labeled as genetically engineered, so the average customer would not know if they were eating the modified product or the conventional product. "This fish is identical to the traditional food," maintained Stotish. "The label could even be misleading because it implies a difference that doesn't exist." If approved, the fish could be in grocery stores in two years, the company estimates. AP-->
Scientists say they've cracked wheat's genetic code, data could help protect crops worldwide
British scientists have decoded the genetic sequence of wheat - one of the world's oldest and most important crops - a development they hope could help the global staple meet the challenges of climate change, disease and population growth. Wheat is grown across more of the world's farmland than any other cereal, and researchers said Friday they're posting its genetic code to the Internet in the hope that scientists can use it as a tool to improve farmers' harvests. One academic in the field called the discovery "a landmark." "The wheat genome is the holy grail of plant genomes," said Nick Talbot, a professor of biosciences at the University of Exeter who wasn't involved in the research. "It's going to really revolutionize how we breed it."AP-->
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A quintessential summertime favorite, watermelon has more benefits than simply providing seed for fast flying ammo against your little bro. This low-calorie, cooling fruit is an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, beta-carotene and lycopene, all powerful antioxidants that help to reduce heart disease, reduce the risk of cancer, and reduce inflammation in the body. It contains B vitamins, especially B6 and B1, which are essential for energy production making watermelon a great food when you need to fuel up. 
