![\"pic\"](\"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/pic.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHybrid fruits are nothing new. For example, the \u201cnectaplum\u201d is a cross between a nectarine and a plum. What you end up with is a fruit with \u201cunparalleled flavor\u201d that tastes like a nectarine, peach and plum all mixed into one delicious package. Hybrid fruits are also hard to create, which is what\u2019s so amazing about today\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n
For the past four years, botanical scientists in Georgia have been working on something that, until now, has been a closely guarded secret. But now that product is bearing fruit\u2026literally. It\u2019s called the \u201capplemelon,\u201d and it\u2019s a cross between an apple and a watermelon.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The applemelon (or waterapple, as some have dubbed it) was created by merging the popular Crimson Sweet watermelon with a Honeycrisp apple. How they accomplished the feat is pretty technical and would require its own blog entry, but the result is a watermelon that grows on a tree with an interior that\u2019s crisp and sweet (like an apple), and tastes like a watermelon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most challenging part of the process was developing a hybrid that created a tree strong enough to sustain the weight of full-grown watermelons without breaking,\u201d said one botanist close to the project. \u201cWe were also careful when it came to the taste of fruit, creating a finished product that brought out the best characteristics of both the apple and the watermelon.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"pic\"](\"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/pic1.jpg\")
The applemelon tree \u2013 of which there are reportedly at least a dozen growing in an undisclosed orchard in Georgia \u2013 is capable of producing as many as 30 fruits at a time. The benefit, of course, is that more applemelon can be grown per square acre than standard watermelon. The fact that the fruit is grown in a tree also means that the fruit is protected from animals, certain insects and other risks associated with ground-level, vine-grown produce.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a real breakthrough, no doubt about it,\u201d said the National Watermelon Promotion Board\u2019s resident watermelon farmer and shipping expert, Josh Bailey. \u201cIt won\u2019t replace the watermelon or the apple, but it\u2019ll definitely provide a fun and interesting option for fans of both fruits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bailey, of course, is one of the lucky few who have tasted the applemelon. For now, fans like yours truly will have to wait until the applemelon is grown on a larger scale and shipped to stores nationwide. No word on when that will happen, but hopefully very soon!<\/p>\n
(In case you didn\u2019t figure it out from the date of this post, this is an April Fool\u2019s joke. Unfortunately, that means the applemelon isn\u2019t real \u2026 at least for now!)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hybrid fruits are nothing new. For example, the \u201cnectaplum\u201d is a cross between a nectarine and a plum. What you end up with is a fruit with \u201cunparalleled flavor\u201d that tastes like a nectarine, peach and plum all mixed into one delicious package. Hybrid fruits are also hard to create, which is what\u2019s so amazing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[235],"tags":[272,273],"class_list":{"0":"post-1492","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition-2","8":"tag-applemelon","9":"tag-watermelon-fruit","10":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n