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News Brief

June 25, 2025 |  By: Gavin McGough

July is National Watermelon Month

watermelon slices

© 2025 Haxnicks.

Some great news from the Missouri Extension Office: it's watermelon season. July is National Watermelon Month, and the fruit is an icon of any picnic spread.

Extension horticulture specialist Matthew Huchteman has some tips for selecting the ripest fruit from your local supermarket or farmstand. He says to find the juiciest melon, choose one that is particularly heavy for its size, compared to others. Watermelons are about 92% water, and water is weight, so heavier melons are even jucier. The fruit should be a dark, dull green and have a firm rind. Avoid shiny melons.

Another tip: Huchteman says look for a field spot: that's the yellow part, where the melon the touched the ground as it grew. He explains,  “The bigger the spot, the better. A pale green field spot is a sign the watermelon was harvested too early."

Missouri ranks 7th in U.S. watermelon production, so you should have no trouble tracking one down. Almost all melons, however, are grown in the state's southeast, and production has fallen over the years as the agricultural economy shifts. Yet, according to the Extension, it is still an important specialty crop for farmers, generating over 8 million dollars of sales annually.

According to local intel, the Galaxy Country Store in Wilcox reportedly sells some of the finest melons available in our region.