Watermelon Goodness
Ah, nothing says summer like a juicy, red watermelon! In my memory of eating watermelon as a child, my forearms would have red drip lines down them, from wrist to elbow, and my hair sometimes held a pit or two which was spit in my direction by a mischievous friend or sibling.
When I grew into adulthood, I tended to look the other way when watermelon was served, even though they had recently been engineered not to contain all those pesky pits. I just didn’t think they held much nutrition, being that they were so watery. Well, I now know, I was passing up the wrong fruit!
Why So Good?
In addition to being 92% water, which is great for hydration, watermelon is quite nutritious. Specifically, it contains significant levels of vitamins A, B6, and C, lots of lycopene (also found in tomatoes), antioxidants and amino acids.
And, because watermelon is relatively low in calories per volume when compared to other fruits—just 46 calories per cup of cubed fruit, and only 11 grams of carbohydrates—it can be liberally enjoyed!
How to Pick ‘Em—3 EZ Ways
It is oh, so disappointing to cut into a watermelon and find it to be either unripe, or overly ripe to the point of it having a mealy texture. Here are three tips from melon farmers to help you choose a good one:
- Large, butter-yellow colored spot—showing it was ripened fully on the vine.
- Deep, dense sound when knocked on with knuckles—a hollow sound means the melon is overripe and deteriorating.
- A dull finish of its skin—shiny skin = unripe.
The Watermelon Salad Recipe All Your Guests Will Be Asking For!
Combine equal quantities, cubed, bite-sized, seedless watermelon and peeled hot house cucumbers. (Try to cut the water melon and the cucumber pieces into similar sizes.) Dress these yummy chunks with a mixture of equal parts of fresh lime juice and extra virgin olive oil, shaken together. Next add a chiffonade of fresh mint leaves, and toss. Finally, gently mix in small cubes (1cm squares) of feta cheese (not the crumbles or the feta will “melt” and become too overpowering), the amount will depend upon your liking, but one small block, diced, should do.