THE 'BAMBINO' Minimelons are perfect for small families

PHOENIX (AP) -- With its bulky size, the watermelon is usually reserved for big family meals and large picnics.
But that could be changing, with two companies unveiling a downsized version aimed at people who might hesitate to buy the standard variety.
"It's the perfect melon for today's smaller families. Otherwise, they'd eat half of it [a regular watermelon] and throw away the other half," said Gary Koppenjan, spokesman for Seminis Seeds, an Oxnard, Calif.-based company that developed the "Bambino," one version of the petite melon.
"We chose a size that was easy to handle, an individual melon that can feed one or two people."
At about 6 pounds, the petite watermelons are roughly the size of a cantaloupe.
Regular watermelons run about 15 to 25 pounds for the seedless variety and up to 30 pounds for those with seeds.
It took roughly 10 years for food scientists to breed the melons, through a selective process that called for repeatedly growing melons that possessed the desired qualities -- small size, deep red flesh, no seeds -- without using genetic engineering.
Both melons sell for $3.99 each, making them a premium item compared to regular watermelons, which cost between $2.99 and $6.99. They debuted last year and are available nationwide.