
Watermelons are annuals which means you need to plant them each year. Growing watermelon is pretty much the same, no matter what type you grow. Tohono O’odham yellow meat watermelon growing in a pot.

It was crispy, sweet and tasted like regular watermelon. We thought we would be tossing them into our compost tumbler.īut when we ate some, it was fantastic. We had a really hot summer and thought it was overripe. What a surprise to cut them open and see yellow watermelon! It was quite the sight! Little did we know we planted yellow-meated watermelon (Tohono O’odham yellow-meated). However, we didn’t read up on the variety. If in the fervor of summer you wish to try your hand at growing the pretty variation, you can find seeds at Walmart or Amazon.Īs you make your selection, know that there are five different varieties of yellow watermelon to pick out: Yellow Crimson (much like the red "Crimson Sweet" variety, but sweeter), Buttercup Yellow Melon (a hybrid that is one of the sweetest of all seedless watermelons), Yellow Flesh Black Diamond (which has a dark green rind and is closer to a pink watermelon in terms of sweetness), Desert King (which is extremely high in beta-carotene which also makes it orange like a cantaloupe) and Yellow Doll (which is smaller and quicker to mature).In the spring, we planted watermelon from the seed program at our library. If you can't find it at your local grocery store or farmers market, you can order yellow watermelon from Instacart. Getting your hands on a yellow watermelon was once difficult, but it's become a bit easier in recent years. The one notable difference besides their color is that yellow can taste a bit sweeter, with a honey-like flavor. When you bite into the crisp meat, you'll find it essentially equal in texture and juiciness. Yellow watermelon tastes remarkably similar to red watermelon. This is the same organic pigment that gives cantaloupes and sweet potatoes a similar yellow or orange color. While the yellow variety doesn't contain lycopene, it has its own strong antioxidant called beta-carotene. Is yellow watermelon better than red watermelon?įrom a health standpoint, both varieties contain a substantial amount of vitamins A and C, which work to support your immune system. As with much of our fruit today, farmers selectively bred the melon to develop its color, texture, and flavor. It's as natural as a red watermelon! While you may be more familiar with the latter, yellow watermelon were actually cultivated first and have grown in Africa for almost 5,000 years. Since the yellow variety does not contain lycopene, it doesn't turn red.

However, your traditional variety gets its red color from lycopene, an organic pigment and powerful antioxidant also found in tomatoes and grapefruits. On the outside, the striped green rind of both the red and yellow varieties look exactly alike. Tsarenko // Getty Images What is yellow watermelon?Īs you might guess, yellow watermelon is a variety that gets its name from its bright golden flesh. So if you're wondering about yellow watermelon-what is it, where to find it, what it tastes like, and what makes it special-read on for everything you need to know about it! Instead, you will see gold fruit and white seeds! It adds a bit of color variation to a bowl of watermelon salad or a watermelon margarita (both of which also happen to make for a pretty summer Instagram post, we might add).
#Buttercup yellow melon crack
It's called yellow watermelon-yes, you read that right! When you crack open the green rind, you won't find juicy red fruit.

While many of us know the three common types of watermelon-seedless, icebox, and picnic-which you'll find at the grocery store all summer long, did you know that there's a fourth variety? This juicy, ripe fruit is a staple at any proper summer cookout whether its sliced and chilled for watermelon sangria, savored as grilled watermelon, or thrown into a colorful summer salad recipe. It's the start of summer-more unofficially known as watermelon season! We welcome it with open arms (and open mouths).
