The sign in the market pointed out that only the skin of the black watermelon was black, and that it was red inside. Good point. Last summer, black watermelons were in the news when a coveted densuke melon, grown only in Hokkaido at the northern tip of Japan, sold for the equivalent of $6100. Mine was 49 cents a pound, making it about $5, but I have some suspicion it differed in other ways as well.

Watermelon originated in Africa in the Kalahari Desert. This conjures up visions of a desperate traveler dying of thirst crawling over a ridge to find … a watermelon patch. However it originated, watermelon is now a favorite in much of the world, and you can count me as an enthusiast. As such, I am disturbed by the great blight on the watermelon landscape. Miserable insipid seedless watermelons are threatening to crowd out one of the world’s food treasures. Without real watermelon, summer might as well be cancelled.