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With fourth of July right around the corner, it’s officially watermelon season! California organic melon growers dominate production for the national marketplace in summertime and coordinate crop peaks to coincide with the major holidays.
Stars and Stripes Watermelon Sticks
Riverbend Fresh, located in Tranquility, California, currently produces around 300+ total acres, including over 200 acres of melons (bin watermelon, mini watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew). They recently began harvesting organic summer watermelons and are reporting favorable volumes, sugar-sweet flavors and outstanding quality just in time for the upcoming fourth of July holiday. According to owner/founder Dennis Peterson, “Organic volumes look good. Mass market volumes should be no problem.”
While the California desert melon season experienced major shortages from heavy rains, frost and disease and Memorial Day weekend yields were basically nonexistent, Fourth of July volumes from the Central Valley will be the complete opposite.
Peterson shares, “The weather over the last month has been more favorable (warmer), and the crop looks like it will balance out nicely with the timing of the upcoming holiday and peak summer demand.” Peterson also reported high sugar content (averaging 12-13%) on most bin watermelons, with the minis yielding even higher.
Watermelon Salad
Peterson also affirms ample summer harvests on organic cantaloupe and honeydew, reporting optimal sizing and superb quality.
He highlights significant market changes in the small melon category have been led by mass market retailers veering toward varietals with longer shipping capabilities and uniform sizing. “Many national market growers, like us, have been led away from softer, fragrant cantaloupe and honeydew varietals to harder varietals, which can travel farther and longer.”
Dru Rivers, one of the co-owners of Full Belly Farms in Guinda, California, a premier organic specialty melon grower, agrees that mass markets have become increasingly conservative on varietal choice, but Fully Belly notices the opposite in consumer demand.
She suggests “Many of the large retailers want to move away from melons by the pound into melons by the each. Most specialty and heirloom varietals don’t fit into this box as they don’t often produce uniform sizing.” She adds that Full Belly experiences consumers craving more specialty varietals, and that they have experienced success with the smaller retailers, farmers markets, home delivery grocers and CSAs.
Full Belly Specialty Melon Varietals
Full Belly currently produces about 12 specialty varietals. Full Belly’s Orchids, Yellow Dolls, Sugar Babies and Crimson Sweets are lining up to satisfy the fourth of July watermelon demand. Piel de Sapo, Galia, Charentais, Charlene, Hogan, Snow Leopard, San Juan, and Canary varietals are also ripe for summer sales.
