See also: Article on Melons; individual melon entries
MELON TRIVIA and FACTS
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U.S. Melon per capita usage:
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1970
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1980
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1990
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2000
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2011
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Total
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21.6 lbs
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18 lbs
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24.8 lbs
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27.8 lbs
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25.5 lbs
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Watermelon
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13.5 lbs
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10.7 lbs
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13.3 lbs
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13.8 lbs
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14.8 lbs
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Cantalope
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7.2 lbs
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5.9 lbs
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9.2 lbs
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11.1 lbs
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8.7 lbs
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Honeydew
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1.4 lbs
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2 lbs
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2.1 lbs
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2.3 lbs
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1.5 lbs
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Other
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n/a
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0.1 lbs
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0.2 lbs
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0.6 lbs
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0.5 lbs
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Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
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Most people don’t know that melons are in the same gourd family as squashes and cucumbers. Most melons have similar structure to winter squash with thick flesh and inner seed-filled midsection.
So what’s the difference between melons and squashes? It’s the way that they’re used. Squashes are considered vegetables, while melons are known as fruits with sweet and juicy flavor.
CDC.gov - 5 a Day
One of the earliest records of melons is in an Egyptian tomb painting from 2400 B.C.
Christopher Columbus probably took the first melon seeds to the New World in 1494 (Haiti).
Many melons originated in the Middle East and gradually spread its popularity across Europe. Ancient Egyptians and Romans enjoyed cantaloupes or muskmelons. Melon seeds were transported to the United States by Columbus and eventually cultivated by Spanish explorers in California.
CDC.gov - 5 a Day
There are 108 people in the U.S. listed on whitepages.com with the last name 'Melon'
(Mark Morton, 'Gastronomica', Fall 2010)
The cantaloupe was supposedly named for Cantalou, a former Papal garden near Rome, where the variety was developed.
Alexandre Dumas loved melons so much, he offered to the city council of Cavaillon all of his published works and future publications in exchange for "a life annuity of twelve melons per year."
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