Beat the summer heat with a cool slice of watermelon
For kids old and young, watermelon provides the excuse to play with your food. Spitting seeds is something everyone should do, even though many are opting for seedless varieties these days. Still, there is something kind of fun about sitting on the back porch and letting those seeds travel into the grass.
In the decades of preaching and teaching about produce selection, watermelon still gets the prize for the most-often-asked questions when it comes to picking one out. Those piles of green orbs tend to all look the same and it can be a bit overwhelming when selecting the perfect one.
I think most of that confusion is because that’s all most tend to see … the green part. To pick one that is the best, you have to turn the melon over and look at the spot where it was touching the ground as it grew. You want a creamy yellow color there rather than light green or white. And obviously, it should feel heavy when you pick it up and be free of any cracks, bruises or soft spots. That’s all there is to it!
Watermelons are in the gourd family and are relatives of pumpkins, squashes, cantaloupes, cucumbers and chayote. The plant is a trailing annual with long stems and branched tendrils. It requires a long, frost-free growing Mary Carolyn, before you go to bed, place 2 cups of water in a heavy saucepan over high heat and bring it to a boil. Add cup of oats, stir and allow to cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir again. Cover and allow to sit overnight. The following morning, uncover and place over medium heat until hot. It is super easy and you can double or triple the recipe if needed. season with high temperatures, so it naturally excels in the sunny South. Although the flesh can range from cream to yellow to scarlet, the most popular ones are ruby red.
Even though watermelons have a hard rind, the fruit is relatively perishable. After a week at room temperature, all melons will begin to deteriorate. When you get it home, refrigerate it whole if you have the space and cut it when ready. If not, go ahead and cut the melon and have it cold and ready to enjoy.
Tammy Algood of Smyrna is the author of five cookbooks. Reach her at ttalgood@bellsouth.net. Read her blog at hauteflavor.wordpress.com.