A round of applause for

A good source of vitamin C, a way to add fiber, folate and potassium to a diet, naturally low in fat ... but they arrive at a competitive time for produce

Friday, Aug. 1, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by SUSAN CRATON Maggie Barnes, 4, of Mechanicsville hoists the watermelon chosen by her family from Ronald Zimmerman’s stand Wednesday morning. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Eggplant, onions, okra, potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, green and wax beans, peaches, tomatoes, corn, green peppers, lima beans, cucumbers and more were set out for sale.

‘‘Everything’s coming in now,” Zimmerman said of the variety of items available.

Two of the latest additions to this produce potpourri at area farm stands were mounded in large bins to the side of Zimmerman’s tables – watermelons and cantaloupe. They come in season at a time when there’s a lot of competition, when a lot of fresh, locally grown foods are available. Zimmerman said sales of melons have been a little slow.

There’s some concern about cantaloupe, in particular, this year, because they are known to do better in dry weather. Zimmerman, however, says they are still good this year. They just ‘‘aren’t quite as sweet because we’ve had so much rain,” he said.

Watermelon is not affected quite as much by the growing conditions, he said.

As if to prove his point, one of Zimmerman’s regular customers, who asked not to be named, stopped by the stand just for a cantaloupe. ‘‘I bought one here last week, and it was delicious,” she said, as she picked out another for this week.

Liat Mackey, family and consumer sciences educator for the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension in St. Mary’s, says melons are a healthy addition to any diet and a good way to work in more fresh produce. ‘‘People just aren’t eating enough produce,” she said. ‘‘And why not take advantage of locally grown [produce] ... picked at its peak.

‘‘In general, melons are good sources of vitamin C, especially cantaloupe and honeydew. They have some fiber, folate, potassium and other nutrients, and are naturally low in fat and sodium.ÊIn addition, melons contain those beneficial phytochemicals.Ê‘‘Phytochemicals, sometimes called phytonutrients, help protect us from diseases, including cancer and heart disease.ÊAntioxidants that help keep cell damage under control are phytochemicals. ÊDamage can occur from sun, pollution and the body’s own metabolism. ÊVitamin C is an antioxidant.Ê Brightly colored fruits and vegetables indicate the presence of phytochemicals called carotenoids, like beta-carotene in cantaloupe and lycopene in watermelon. ÊBeta-carotene colors fruits and vegetables orange, while lycopene colors them red.Ê It is not clear yet how these substances protect health. ÊÊThe only certain knowledge is that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables provides health benefits,” Mackey said in an e-mail.

Mackey noted that some people are unnecessarily concerned about watermelon being a high-sugar food. ‘‘Melons, like all fruits, have natural sugar,” she said. ‘‘Sugar is a carbohydrate and should be counted in the total amount of carbohydrates one is consuming. A cup of cubed watermelon has no more sugar than a cup of honeydew or cantaloupe, and all provide between 45 to 60 calories per cup.”

Watermelon and cantaloupes (which are actually muskmelons) dominate the melon crop in St. Mary’s, according to Ben Beale, extension educator-agricultural sciences co-county extension director.

There are some growers who have honeydew melons, though there is not as much demand as for the big two, he said. He noted that there are also local growers offering a new French type mini-melon that is about the size of a softball and quite sweet.

‘‘It’s a hybrid between a muskmelon and a charentais, a French melon,” Mackey said. ‘‘Very fragrant.”

She stressed that all melons should be washed before cutting. ‘‘Scrub gently with a vegetable brush under cool, running water. When cutting an unwashed melon, germs on the outside can be dragged to the inside,” she said. ‘‘Refrigerate melon after cutting to prevent or slow the growth of bacteria.”

How to choose the best melon is a matter of debate. Most of Zimmerman’s customers press on the ends of the cantaloupes and then smell them, he said. But as he helped a customer pick out a good cantaloupe Wednesday, he advised them to look at the surface of the melon.

‘‘I go for the rougher skin,” he said.

Raena Barnes of Mechanicsville was among Zimmerman’s steady stream of customers. She and her children, Jackson, 5, and Maggie, 4, spent some time choosing a watermelon.

‘‘I love it,” Maggie said.