Ingredient: Mini Melons

By Rob Willey

Seedless watermelons are getting smaller and smaller. In 2001 Dulcinea Farms introduced a honeydew-size hybrid called PureHeart in a few stores in California; this year the company is planning to send 24 million to market. A product of conventional cross-breeding, the watermelons are as sweet and crisp as their seed-filled siblings. "The idea basically came from the consumer," says Kevin Migdal, Dulcinea Farms' president. "A 20-pound honker creates a real logistical problem when you're trying to get it into the fridge" ($5 per melon; dulcinea.com).

Published July 2004