Bogue Sound melons owe sweetness to nature's nursery along the coast

BOGUE - Cut into a Bogue Sound watermelon and you'll savor a treat that has been enjoyed for generations.

You can thump it, shake it and use whatever technique you wish to gauge which one is best but farmer Billy Guthrie suggests just picking one and tasting it.

It's the taste, he said, that makes the Bogue Sound watermelon a standout.

"It's delicious; there's just something about the taste," said Guthrie, president of the Bogue Sound Watermelon Growers Association. "A lot of people migrate here from places like New York and Pennsylvania. Most people taste the watermelon, and that's what they want."

It isn't the variety of the watermelon that makes the Bogue Sound melon so special. Rather, it is the geographic area in which it is grown.

It's been said that the mix of sandy soils and the Atlantic breeze creates the perfect conditions for growing the sweet treat.

Ray Harris, director of Carteret County's Cooperative Extension Office, suggests there are three likely factors: "Because of the sandy soil, we don't use as much nitrogen and there's no irrigation; we depend on Mother Nature."

"Maybe it's all psychological," joked Guthrie.

Nah, he corrected, Bogue Sound watermelons are known for their sweet taste and the customers keep coming back for more.

And now there's proof, said Harris.

The sugar content of the Bogue Sound melons has been measured and was higher than other melons tested. The higher the number, the sweeter the taste, and Bogue Sound watermelons exceeded others by several units of measurement.

"The Bogue Sound watermelon measured 9.2 and the others were around a 7," Harris said.

Guthrie said the Bogue Sound watermelon has been known locally and up and down the East Coast for many years.

When he was child, there was farmland all around and he recalls the tractor-trailers that could be seen in the area waiting to pick up the sweet summer cargo.

Guthrie has also heard the stories of Bogue Sound watermelons filling strings of railway cars and menhaden boats that would work the area and then head back home with the watermelons as their last catch.

"They'd finish in June and then load those boats up with watermelons," Guthrie said.

While the Bogue Sound watermelon dates back generations, it is only recently that a coalition of area farmers has come together to promote their product.

The Bogue Sound Watermelon Growers Association incorporated in July 2005, and there are now about 20 member farms from the region in which the watermelon is grown. A farm qualifies for membership in the organization if the land borders any tributary the flows into Bogue Sound, which primarily includes Carteret, Jones and Onslow counties.

A trademark logo - complete with a sunglasses-wearing watermelon reclining on a beach chair - was approved and can be found on T-shirts, hats and most importantly, the stickers put on each watermelon shipped out by the association.

Others may grow Bogue Sound watermelons, Harris said, but only members of the association may use the logo, which is a sign to consumers that they are getting a product worthy of the reputation.

And as development replaces the once abundant farmland that extended between Morehead City and Swansboro, Guthrie said the coalition of farmers is keeping a crop with a long history alive.

"The Bogue Sound watermelon was known all up and down the East Coast. I said, 'Don't let this thing die,'" Guthrie said.

Through a partnership with L&M Companies of Raleigh, the BSWGA distributes its watermelons to several grocery chains. The watermelons can also be found at area produce stands.

Contact Carteret County reporter Jannette Pippin at jpippin@freedomenc.com or 252-808-2275. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment on this report.