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Post by binnylou on Jul 14, 2019 15:16:52 GMT -5
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Post by desertwoman on Jul 14, 2019 15:27:32 GMT -5
I would think it might binnylou ,, though now that I say that I wonder if some of the properties would be lost in the 'water'/juice. I'm going to puree and freeze a portion and see what it does. I'll report back in a day or two! |
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Post by SpringRain on Jul 14, 2019 15:44:30 GMT -5
binnylou , I think it would depend on whether or not the specific ingredients are changed in the dehydration process.
Do we have any chemists here? I think there would ideally be a test for the chemical content of a specific size of watermelon before and after to determine how dehydration would affect it. I'm guessing it would, though, since the water content would be changed. Or at least the ratios of ingredients would be changed through dehydration.
More research to do on how lycopene and the other specific BP beneficials change through dehydration.
I've also wondered and need to research what other melons might have the same ingredient.
I know very little about L-citrulline conversion into L-arginine, and its contribution to nitric oxide. This is waaaayyyyy beyond me! |
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Post by desertwoman on Jul 16, 2019 18:20:57 GMT -5
I'm going to puree and freeze a portion and see what it does. I'll report back in a day or two! Watermelon puree is a winner!! In the food processor I pureed a quarter of a mini w'melon. Didn't add anything else. Froze it in a pint canning jar. i defrosted it and am eating/drinking it now. It lost a tiny bit of flavor, but really not that much. I am definitely going to puree/freeze a bunch while I can get them. I also froze a bite sized chunk. Won't do that again. Weird texture and it lost a lot of flavor. |
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Post by SpringRain on Jul 16, 2019 20:59:07 GMT -5
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Vokar
Blooming
Posts: 183
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Post by Vokar on Jul 18, 2019 19:50:45 GMT -5
tom 🕊 , We grow watermelons and other melons in western Idaho. Black plastic does help them grow faster in the spring in my area, until the temperatures get past 95 or so (then they get a little too hot). A bark mulch would probably be more ideal in my area, but we're using black plastic for the melons anyway. Melons can grow fine without it, though (especially C. melo). I think our soil and pests are the major challenge for watermelons here. I don't have too many problems with the season length (unless I'm growing Moon and Stars; that's never fully ripened for me). Our frost-free season is about five months (so, there's about four months worth of season for watermelons). C. melo seems to do excellently here as long as I have the right nutrients in the soil and start it (to transplant later) early enough (and/or let it volunteer in an area with black plastic). Some of them get too hot in the black plastic, though (but Torpeda handles the hot soil well). The major issue we tend to have with watermelon is spider mites.
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Vokar
Blooming
Posts: 183
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Post by Vokar on Jul 18, 2019 20:04:22 GMT -5
Here's one of ours in an area with black plastic (and western shade). I don't know what kind it is (although I could maybe find out if I traced it to the planting site), but I have hope that it'll get big (growing big watermelons has historically been a challenge in our soil):  |
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Vokar
Blooming
Posts: 183
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Post by Vokar on Jul 18, 2019 20:09:12 GMT -5
Phew (I just traced it; the watermelon plants are huge and thick, this year). It's one of my Weeks NC Giant crosses (the matriarchal line came from Weeks NC Giant, while it has been cross-pollinated at least once since I first started growing it in 2016).
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Vokar
Blooming
Posts: 183
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Post by Vokar on Jul 18, 2019 20:16:13 GMT -5
tom 🕊 , Here's some early spider mite damage on another watermelon:  They don't usually bother C. melo here, though. Mostly just watermelon and ground cherries. We haven't had too many spider mites, this year, yet, though.
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jul 18, 2019 20:51:22 GMT -5
Here's some early spider mite damage on another watermelon , does damage begin at the crown of the plant in the area above the root? Spider mites seem to start at the bottom and work upward. I have had some success in controlling spider mites on the ornamental Polygonum orientale by removing infected lower leaves. |
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Post by SpringRain on Jul 18, 2019 20:54:54 GMT -5
I love watermelon leaves; they're so decorative. I plan to plant some just for ground cover; if I get melons, that's a plus.
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Vokar
Blooming
Posts: 183
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Post by Vokar on Jul 18, 2019 21:23:58 GMT -5
tom 🕊 , Yes. It usually starts on the lower leaves. Removing the infected leaves helps. Pruning generally seems to help the plants grow after the spider mites and/or weather have stunted them, too. If there are vegetative plants that aren't watermelons nearby that they can grow through, I've found that the watermelon seem to be less bothered by spider mites inside and on the other side of those plants than in the main body of watermelon. Those vines don't seem to get stunted.
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Vokar
Blooming
Posts: 183
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Post by Vokar on Jul 18, 2019 22:24:54 GMT -5
James Yeah, I've definitely noticed how if you direct-seed watermelon when it's not warm enough, then it really impacts germination a lot. However, overwintered seeds don't seem to have this problem. I don't know why. I like to start mine in foam cups in my very small unheated greenhouse and transplant outside in late May or early June. I can usually transplant tomatoes around May 10th, though, but I've found that watermelon definitely like it a little warmer. Not only do seeds suffer from cooler temperatures, but the plants can suffer, too. It wasn't obvious to me at first, though. I have better results from transplants than direct-seeding, but I think laying out a pile of seeds in the fall in an area with black plastic could have good results. Overwintered seeds seem to have some benefits, and they might sprout earlier with the warmer soil that comes from black plastic. I tried something similar with a muskmelon, and had good results. When I direct-seeded watermelon before, it was in uncovered ground. I had to replant a number of watermelon a while after they didn't sprout the first time.
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Vokar
Blooming
Posts: 183
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Post by Vokar on Jul 18, 2019 22:41:47 GMT -5
desertwoman, That's great to hear that pureed watermelon freezes decently well! I wonder if pureed cantaloupe frozen would taste good, too.
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Post by desertwoman on Jul 18, 2019 23:39:07 GMT -5
I wonder if pureed cantaloupe frozen would taste good, too. Your mission should you choose to accept it Vokar,: puree and freeze some cantaloupe and report back  |
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