Summertime and the Watermelons are ... Warm?

There's already a feel to the mid-day heat that says "summer".  We're all wearing sandals and the overhead fans in the house are all turned on.

But how do we really know that it's summer?

Just listen for the watermelon man on Friday afternoon. We've never actually seen him. But we hear him from miles away, blasting his sales-pitch via loudspeaker as his truck makes its way through the neighborhoods. "Avatiach, avatiach …"

You were hoping for a pre-Shabbat rest in the heat of the afternoon? Forget it. Not with that racket going on. Besides, doesn't watermelon sound like a pretty good idea for Shabbat?

It's tasty, refreshing, low calorie and good for you. Though it's 92% water, it's high in vitamin C and lycopene. 

Lycopene is what makes watermelon (and other red fruits and vegetables) red. It's a powerful antioxidant that may help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. The strongest evidence  points to lycopene's role in preventing prostate cancer.

The best source of lycopene is cooked tomato products like tomato sauce and juice. Which brings up an interesting bit of food science.

While heat may destroy certain nutrients in fruits and vegetables, it can actually increase the content of other nutrients. Like lycopene. That's why cooked tomatoes are a lot higher in lycopene than fresh tomatoes.

As for watermelon – researchers found that its lycopene levels were significantly higher when melons were stored at room temperature rather than in the refrigerator.

Unfortunately, the study didn't offer any practical advice for those of us who enjoy eating our watermelon cold, rather than warm. I can only offer the following unscientific but palate-pleasing suggestion: Store your watermelon at room temperature and refrigerate it for an hour or two just before you're ready to eat it.

Enjoy a healthy, happy and delicious summer!