Welcome To Food Republic Watermelon Week!

When it gets to be this time of year, there are certain things you expect: barbecues, picnics, beach days and pot lucks with any amount of overlap between them. All of those events are made better by fresh, seasonal summer watermelon, however it's served.

Tons of watermelon occupy markets' produce sections right now, including crates of green stripy oblongs as well as easier-to-transport wedges, slices and cubes of the deep red flesh. Buy a whole melon, though, because presliced fruit is no way to live. Pick up some watermelon juice while you're at it, unless you're too busy drinking coconut water to crave this ultrasweet, replenishing and healthy liquid treat. And don't toss those seeds: You can sprout and snack on them like any other seed, but watermelon seeds are packed with extra nutrients and protein. That's right, protein in watermelon.

Welcome to Watermelon Week! There are tons of recipes, interviews, products and other watermelon-related information to be had. Check out some of this week's coverage:

Let's kick it off with this throwback from summers past, courtesy of Mind of a Chef: the story of the sweetest melon known to mankind, guarded under lock and key: the Bradford watermelon.