In Eastern North Carolina July means watermelons are ripening. It is always a special treat for the July 4th celebration to eat watermelons. However, not just any kind of watermelon will do!! The melons grown here on the coast are different from any other and have a sweet taste that is exceptional. My Dad always thought it was the weather and the sandy soil since the variety of melon grown here is not particularly special. In fact, varieties grown here on the coast such as Royal Sweet or Crimson Sweet can be easily purchased from Burpee and others. I recon it to be like the Vidalia Onion grown in Vidalia, Georgia where no other onion is as sweet and no other area has ever been able to duplicate it. So be the Bogue Sound Watermelon grown in the Bogue area of Carteret Country.
The locals have always known that the best watermelons are Bogue Sound Watermelons. Usually these melons are available from July until about mid August. On hot summer afternoons during my childhood, my mother would cut a chilled watermelon. There was always anticipation of how red it was on the inside, since in our experience that was an indicator of just how sweet and juicy it would be. She would cut the slices lengthwise so that everyone got some of the “heart” as we called it. The “heart’ or center of the watermelon is the sweetest and reddest part and few seeds.
So where are these culinary delights grown? The farms on and around Highway 24 from Cape Carteret to Morehead bordering directly or indirectly on Bogue Sound has always been considered to be Watermelon Mecca. Even though these melons have been popular locally for as long as I can remember and some think for at least 100 years, not until the Bogue Sound Watermelon Growers Association formed in 2005 and a specific sticker designed by the state to be placed on each melon, did people really know when they were getting a bonafide Bogue Sound Watermelon.With the tobacco Buy-Out farmers started growing more watermelon to help their farms continue to be profitable. The establishment of the association gave the growers of Bogue Sound Watermelon a branding and identity that has helped expand their market area. Now a Bogue Sound Watermelon can be found in supermarkets across the nation with a cute colorful sticker labeling it as a Bogue Sounder. There are approximately 20 farmers in the association and each member brings their watermelons to a central shipping location, for inspection to ensure consistent and uniform quality and size.
If you are vacationing here at the John & Lucille Country Retreat, the closest place to buy your melon is Guthrie Farms on Highway 24 in the town of Bogue, north of Cape Carteret and Bucks Corner Farm located on Highway 58 in Pelieter. Also guest during July and August staying at the Retreat may find one of these delicious melons waiting for them in the refrigerator….chilled and ready to eat. Last week, a family from Canada staying at the retreat called when they returned home to tell me that one of the highlights of the week was the watermelon. They said it was the sweetest melon they had ever had. Of course, I told them this was not just any watermelon. It was a Bogue Sound Watermelon and that was very special.
