How to keep watermelons fresh

[Marcia Moore]

Don't think I would want to try this but in September 1881, an article in a Severy newspaper told how a lady had discovered a plan to keep watermelons in their natural form and flavor for indefinite lengths of time.  She had successfully tried it in past seasons, and as a consequence had been able to treat her family to a watermelon supper at Christmas time.  The plan was inexpensive and a simple one, and consisted in giving the melon three or four coats of varnish to exclude the air.  She said it not only kept them from decay, but the flavor and sweetness were retained, and when eaten at Christmas or New Year's, the fruit seemed to be wonderfully improved.

[Wilma]

My husband worked with a man who claimed that his father buried melons in a bin full of wheat and they stayed good for awhile.  I have also heard of burying them under a haystack.