Because I lived in Austin, Texas and near Lebanon-Hanover, New Hampshire I was used to shopping in Central Market, Whole Foods and the Co-op. I purchased excellent quality foods that were good value for the dollar for the most part. And I splurged as needed.

I started commuting to Shreveport, Louisiana and had to find a local grocery store to feed me. I began my reconnaissance of the local grocery stores.

Store A is a smallish grocery store conveniently located ¾ mile from my house and serves a mixed socio-economic neighborhood of historic homes. No matter what I would go in there for all I ever come out with was a can of Folger’s and a bag of dog food.

This store specializes in fat, starch, sugar, alcohol and over-priced fresh orange. I was going to starve to death shopping here.

Next I test drove Store B which is 4 miles from my house. This is a grocery store for what was the Shreveport everyman. I began my exploration of the store and was immediately disappointed. There was no variety, no organic foods, no bulk, no nothing. I was so damn depressed. I consulted some locals and they directed me to Store C.

Store C is located 3 miles from my house and serves a higher end socio-economic group. In this neighborhood the houses are beautifully massive and the squadrons of giant flying cockroaches are called water bugs.

I made my trek to Store C to see if this grocery store was going to meet my needs. It has fruits and vegetables, some imported items, organic meat and vegetables and my staples. There is produce that I would consider a staple in Austin that is 3 times the price in Store C so I do without. But still out of the three, Store C was the best suited to my needs.

So you would think the post would stop there:

• Explore your grocery store options
• Pick the grocery store best suited to you
• The End

I thought that was the end too. But a friend, who lives 4 blocks from Store C, told me she was shopping in Store B. I was floored as I had seen what was in her fridge and it looked nothing like what I had seen at Store B.

So BACK I went to Store B. It was fabulous. They had been undergoing renovations for months. I walked into a beautiful produce section immediately hitting a wall of organics that were only pennies more expensive than the regular produce.

Green peppers were $0.99 each at Stores A and C, ORGANIC green peppers were $0.99 each at Store B. I try to stay away from the bakery but they had fresh baked cheese biscuits 3 for $1.00.

The prices are cheaper than Store C, the quality and selection are better than Store A. I was so happy I damn near burst into tears.

I now firmly believe that the choice of grocery store should be revisited annually.

The grocery chain marketing departments are constantly reassessing: what should be sold at each store, improvements and renovations, the pricing strategies, specials, etc. You never know when something is turning to your advantage in a different store.

Watermelon Calories and Nutrition

Watermelon is naturally low in calories but high in Vitamin A and C. It is an all-around healthy food. Serve it frequently as both a thirst-quencher and a tasty snack.

Watermelon is high in lycopene, and is second only to tomatoes in its percentage of this important antioxidant. Consuming foods which are rich in lycopene is thought to help prevent heart disease and cancer.

You can find detailed nutrition and calorie information in our USDA food database for dried Watermelon seeds and raw watermelon.

Save When Buying Watermelon

You will pay more for pre-sliced and pre-packaged watermelon but buy only what you can eat within a week. Melons last quite a while if uncut (and when uncut don’t necessarily need to be refrigerated.) Once cut, however, they are only at their best for a few days.

You also will often have the choice between seedless and seed-bearing varieties. Seedless varieties may be more convenient but may cost more.

See our Seasonal Food Calendar — You will find plentiful watermelon choices in June through September, although in many markets you will find imported watermelons year round.

Growing Watermelon

Growing watermelon is easy if you follow a few basic rules. First, always plant the seeds on mounds of dirt. This may sound unnecessary but it encourages deep rooting, and, well, it just works. I have had great luck growing melons even here in New Hampshire where the summers are short and not always hot. I like to plant the seeds directly into piles of manure, or a rich mix of manure and soil. Water the seeds a bit to get them started, but once they get going, just let the plants do their thing. You might want to put a good layer of grass clippings as mulch around the plants to help retain soil moisture. You can also use black plastic which will also combat weeds and help heat the soil.

Watermelon Seeds

Save your seeds! If you grow heirloom varieties, you can keep the seeds, however, do not try to do this with commercial varieties. (Seedless varieties are hybrids that do not produce a viable seed) Keep a few dozen dark colored, fully-formed seeds when eating your watermelon. Dry them completely then toss them in an envelope for use next spring. You will save money and you will find that seeds keep well for one or two years.

Watermelon Varieties

According to the National Watermelon Promotion Board web site, there are 200-300 varieties of watermelon grown in the US and Mexico, but perhaps 50 varieties are the most common. We looked at three seed companies and their watermelon seeds

If you are going to grow your own, consider 3 categories:

Heirloom varieties – These are old varieties that have been kept alive by seed saving. They are often unusual in some respect; growers keep growing them because they find them well adapted to certain climates and they have traits worth preserving. Look to Fedco Seeds, Johnny’s Seeds and High Mowing Seeds for a selection of heirloom watermelon varieties. I love the Moon and Stars heirloom – the unusual markings on the outside of the melon are unique!

Organic Seeds – Chances are that you will find organic seeds where you find heirloom varieties. Look also to Fedco, Johnny’s and High Mowing for organic choices.

Hybrid varieties – Don’t confuse hybrid varieties with genetically modified – hybrid seeds are the result of natural cross pollination of plants to emphasize and accentuate certain traits. The only downside to hybrids is that you cannot save the seeds. We found a selection of 6 hybrid varieties at Park’s Seed.

Watermelon Recipes

There is no better collection of watermelon recipes than at the National Watermelon Promotion Board web site.

Our two favorites are: Watermelon Popsicles and Watermelon Banana Split. So easy to make.

We also love the Watermelon Granita and Watermelon Smoothie recipes at the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Website.

Consider also a Melon Salsa – easy to prepare and perfect for a summer appetizer served with chips.

Watermelon Facts

It would be hard to beat the collection of fun facts on watermelon assembled by the National Watermelon Promotion Board.

Concerned about Pesticides in Watermelon?

On the Environmental Working Group’s chart of contamination load of common produce items, watermelon ranks toward the bottom of the list, meaning it is relatively low in its tendency to contain pesticides and chemicals.

The Fate of a Watermelon

Ever wondered what happens to a watermelon left out at room temperature? Watch this video on You Tube which tracks its slow decomposition over 9 days.

Amazing Carved Watermelons

Somebody forwarded us an email that apparently has been floating around the Internet lately – it contains photos of carved watermelons made by someone with incredible talent.

Amazing table display of carved watermelons

Watermelon carved to show a baseball player at bat

A beautifully carved turtle and crane in a watermelon

A couple dancing the Tango are carved into a watermelon

Intricate flowers carved into a watermelon

Running Horse in Watermelon

A bicycle racer depicted in watermelon - could it be Lance?

Vincent Van Watermelon

According to the retail firm Precima, 48 percent of people who said they were saving money on gas are now spending that same money on groceries.

At the P & G IGA Market in Killbuck the store’s customer base is declining even as people purchase more groceries.

Manager Larry Frenette blames the larger national chains for declining sales at local grocers.

“The big box stores have hurt the smaller retailer. That’s been going on for the last few years,” Frenette said.

But the reason customers are turning to the big box store is the belief they can get a better deal and save a few dollars, Frenette said.

Sales may be plunging in everything from cars to clothing, but people still need to eat. And that means grocery stores are a relative bright spot in this recession.

They’re helped by customers who have cut back on dining out and are doing more in the kitchen. Yet even supermarkets aren’t immune to the economy as bargain-minded consumers switch stores, opt for cheaper products and even change how they pay–with some shoppers turning to gift cards.

In general, sales at supermarkets are flat, said Jeff Green of Mill Valley-based Jeff Green Partners, a retail feasibility consultant.

“But in these retail times, flat is the new up,” he said. “Flat is great.”

Safeway Inc., which owns Vons, reported a 3.9% increase in sales during the third quarter of 2008, compared with the same period a year earlier. Many other grocery stores like Save Mart are privately owned and do not report their sales.

In contrast, other retailers reported grim tidings. For instance, third-quarter sales at Home Depot fell 6%, General Motors Corp.’s sales dropped 11% and Gottschalks fell 13%.

Every few weeks, coupons arrive in Williams’ Elizabethtown, Ky., mailbox for items she usually loads into her cart. While Kroger is building loyalty – with 95 percent of a recent mailing tailored to specific households – Williams is saving money without searching through dozens of pages of coupons.

“I’m not that big a coupon-clipper,” she said. “It seems like a lot of coupons you see are (for) things that you never use.”

Although the recession has revived penny-pinching, Americans are still redeeming only 1 percent to 3 percent of paper coupons. In contrast, the nation’s largest traditional grocery chain says as many as half the coupons it sends regular customers do get used. Kroger’s part ownership of a data-mining firm allows it to put the reams of information its shopper cards collect to use in more ways than other retailers do. And one way is to give shoppers coupons mainly for products they regularly buy.

If consumers intend to cut spending, they will have to learn how to grocery shop, cook meals at home and pack brown-bag lunches, while eating out less.

“I think that more shoppers will be trading down on their grocery shopping, such as shopping at Wal-Mart or Target supercenters instead of supermarkets or wholesale clubs,” said Stephanie Nelson, founder of CouponMom.com. “And people will definitely be trading down to store brands to save wherever they shop.”

Coupons will be cool–from newspapers and online printable coupons. In December 2007, Nelson’s site had 200,000 members who printed 81,000 coupons. A year later, 1.2 million members printed 800,000 coupons.

Look for expanded use of electronic coupons, which involves going online to add “coupons” to your store loyalty card. You then use your loyalty card at the supermarket. The coupons are applied at checkout to items you bought.

1) Loyalty Cards: If you don’t have one, sign up for one. It’s one of the easiest ways to save money on groceries on sale each week. Never leave the store without swiping your loyalty card at checkout.

2) Electronic Coupons: Online coupon sites such as www.Shortcuts.com let shoppers load coupons onto their store loyalty cards for savings without printing or clipping. Just click the coupons you want and they’re automatically redeemed when you use your loyalty card.

3) Buy One, Get One Free: These buy-one-get-one sales are great on their own, but you can also use one coupon for each item. So if you get two items, make sure to use two coupons.

4) Printable Coupons: Check out coupon Web sites such as www.Coupons.com and www.SmartSource.com, which let you select the coupons you want to print.

5) Favorite Brands: Frequent the Web sites of your favorite brands. You can often find money-saving printable coupons right on the site or you can sign up for special offers by mail or e-mail.

6) Coupons for Sale: If you spot a great sale and want to double up on your savings, go online to a site like www.TheCouponClippers.com, which lets you order coupons for a few cents each.

7) Stack Coupons: Some retailers offer coupons that can only be used at their stores. You can use these coupons along with manufacturers’ coupons on the same product for extra savings. By doubling up, you can sometimes get products for free or nearly free.

Double And Triple Coupon Deals: Some grocery stores double or triple coupons and sometimes only on certain days of the week. Check the newspaper for which days they’re multiplied.

9) Rebates & Free-bates: Look for rebates and free-bates, which refund you the full purchase price. You can make money in some cases when you use a coupon and then get a full-price free-bate. Just don’t forget to send in the forms.

10) Money-Saving Blogs: Check out money-saving blogs that share with readers shopping tips and advice as well as coupons, free samples and round–ups of the best deals at the grocery store. Two to check out are www.MoneySavingMom.com and www.CouponCravings.com.