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Drink up! Eat watermelon

Taking a bite of watermelon is almost like taking a drink.

Watermelon is 92 percent water, the highest percentage of any fruit. It is perfect for quenching one's thirst on those hot, dry summer days.

Not only that, it is an excellent, naturally-sweet health food.

One cup of watermelon has 48 calories. The fruit is an excellent source of vitamins C and A, and is high in B6, B1, potassium, magnesium, and the antioxidant lycopene.

Watermelons were discovered in the Kalahari Desert in Africa by British explorer David Livingstone.

Some historians believe the watermelon was introduced into the United States by African slaves. It was grown at various places throughout the country by 1800.

The original watermelons did not last long and had to be home grown or purchased at local markets or fruit stands. They often were fed to farm animals.

In the 1940s, a Department of Agriculture horticulturalist at Charleston S.C., bred a disease-resistant, wilt-resistant watermelon with an oblong shape and hard rind. It was easy to stack and ship.

The high-yielding plants soon were grown over a wide area, and watermelons became readily available at supermarkets.

Georgia, Florida, Texas, California, and Arizona are the largest producers.

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