Click here to watch Kathleen serve up watermelon dishes with the Today show's Ann Curry

Everything You Didn't Really Want to Know About Watermelon
—Plus Some Really Great Recipes
By Kathleen Daelemans    

Watermelon is starting to get totally delicious again. Not that it isn't very good right now. But every dame has her day and each and every variety of fruit and vegetable has their own individual flavor peak. Surely by now you are on a first name basis with all or at least most of the growers at the farmers markets and road side stands within a 20 mile radius of your home by now. Please tell me you are. Or B) please tell me you frequent fresh produce markets and farmers markets and road-side stands.

And C) don't hate me because I'm dutiful. I don't live an Alice Water's ideal lifestyle even though I've pulled a few shifts there and know better. I'm all about doing the right thing and eating the right thing and taking care of my body and the environment. And I'm all about butter and pork fat too. I'm very conflicted. All the time. It's a constant struggle but thankfully my skinny jeans fit today and this article is about watermelon. So D) if you don't eat fresh produce let alone watermelon it's not too late!

Last year I was invited to do a segment on watermelon on the Today show. I always do way too much research and there's never enough time to show all the recipes so in the spirit of living green (and in the spirit of working half days in the summer when the living is easy) I'm recycling some of the work I did that never made it into the segment.

How the heck do you tell which one is ripe?
I'm letting the cat out of the bag—Now Hear This—Some markets display cut watermelon under red lights to make them look redder, sweeter and juicier! If you're reading this Santa, Jane Grigson's Fruit Book is very good so if you have extra copies the buyers in all the produce red light districts need them because they obviously don't know how to pick out ripe watermelon or they wouldn't hang red lights over the watermelons so people think they were sweeter and riper and buy them.

I refuse to believe markets started using red light bulbs to make their watermelons look prettier and ripe when they're not ready to eat on purpose because this is American home of the free land of the brave so there must have been a produce black out on the same day the Clear Light Bulb Workers of America went on strike and the Free World ran out of light bulbs except for red ones.

Maybe it turned out that red light bulbs are so long burning they haven't burned out yet from the produce black out and that's why they're still using red ones in produce departments today because no way would markets cheat us out of hard earned money.

The best way to choose a flavorful melon is to pick up the melon and take it away from the lights. Look at the color and quality of the flesh, which should be a deep color and absent from white streaks. If it features seeds, they should be deep in color.

When choosing a whole watermelon, look for one that is heavy for its size with a rind that is relatively smooth and that is neither overly shiny nor overly dull. In addition, one side of the melon should have an area that is distinct in color from the rest of the rind, displaying a yellowish or creamy tone. This is the underbelly, the place that was resting on the ground during ripening, and if the fruit does not have this marking, it may have been harvested prematurely, which will negatively affect its taste, texture and juiciness.

More Than You Ever Wanted to Know about Watermelon

• Watermelon's official name is Citrullus lanatus of the botanical family Curcurbitacae and it is a vegetable! It is related to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash.
  
  
• While we often associate a deep red-pink color with watermelons, in fact there are varieties that feature orange, yellow, or white flesh. While most watermelons have seeds that are black, brown, white, green or yellow, a few varieties are actually seedless.
  
  
• Watermelon has heart healthy properties because it is naturally low in saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol.
  
  
• Watermelon Is Practically A Multivitamin Unto Itself – A 2-cup serving of watermelon is an excellent source of Vitamins A, B6 and C.
  
  
• Vitamin A found in watermelon is important for optimal eye health.
  
  
• Vitamin B6 found in watermelon is used by the body to manufacture brain chemicals (neurotransmitters), such as serotonin, melatonin and dopamine, which preliminary research shows may help the body cope with anxiety and panic.
  
  
• Vitamin C in watermelons can help to bolster your immune system's defenses against infections and viruses and is known to stimulate the immune system and protect against free radical damage.
  
  
• Potassium – A two-cup serving of watermelon is also a source of potassium.
  
  
• Watermelon is 92% water.
  
  
• Watermelon is an ideal health food because it doesn't contain any fat or cholesterol, is high in fiber and vitamins A & C and is a good source of potassium.

Who Knew?

• Watermelon is grown in over 96 countries worldwide.
  
  
• Over 1,200 varieties of watermelon are grown worldwide.
  
  
• By weight, watermelon is the most-consumed melon in the U.S., followed by cantaloupe and honeydew.
  
  
• In 1990, Bill Carson of Arrington, TN grew the largest watermelon at 262 pounds that is still on the record books (1998 ed. Guinness Book of World Records).
  
  
• Every part of a watermelon is edible, even the seeds and rinds.
  
  
• Japan has created square watermelons, to be easily stored in refrigerators, by growing them in glass boxes the same size as the shelf space of Japanese refrigerators. They cost about 10,000 yen or about $85 US.

The Recipes Already!

Watermelon Strawberry Slushies
You needn't follow this recipe as it doesn't really matter the ratio of strawberries to watermelon you use. Your refrigerator inventory and the quality of the strawberries and watermelon available to you will dictate this. Blending bland watermelon or strawberries will not improve their flavor so make sure the fruit you choose is at its flavor peak.

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 cups watermelon chunks
1 quart strawberries
3 cups of ice
2 teaspoons honey
Pinch of salt

Blend fruit until smooth. Add ice and blend until completely combined and smooth. Season to taste with a drizzle of honey and a pinch of salt. Garnish with mint and serve immediately.

Watermelon & Whipped Feta Cheese Crostini
This super easy appetizer is great for last minute guests especially when they're all standing around the grill waiting for the food to be cooked. Throw slices of great quality bread onto the grill, spread with cheese, top with watermelon and serve as an impromptu appetizer.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 loaf good quality sourdough or any dense bread good for grilling
4 oz. goat cheese, whipped
8 slices of watermelon to lay over goat cheese topped grilled bread
Cracked pepper to taste

Whip cheese. Slice watermelon. Grill bread. Spread cheese on bread. Top with watermelon. Serve.

Watermelon Ceviche
There's nothing more refreshing on a hot summer's night than tropical inspired dishes. You can use any fish you like just be sure to use super fresh.

Serves 4

Ingredients
3/4 cup fresh Orange Juice
1/4 cup Lime Juice
4 cups watermelon, about, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 cups cantaloupe, cut into ½ inch cubes
1/2 small sweet onion, very finely minced
1 Tablespoon grated jalapeno
1/4 pound shrimp
1/4pound scallops
1/2 pound white fish
1 cup roughly chopped, loosely packed cilantro
1/2 cup mint, chopped

Combine all ingredients and gently toss until well coated. Serve
Immediately in butter lettuces and or with 100% authentic corn chips.

Hot and Sour Beef Salad
Flavor combinations like this have made it possible for me to stay addicted to eating healthy. Don't be put off by the fish sauce. Think of it as salt. It's an outrageously delicious high impact, zero calorie flavor ingredient. Yours is not to reason why; yours is just to eat and try!

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/4 cup + 1/4 cup lime juice
1Tablespoon finely minced shallot
1 pound Flank steak
coarse salt & cracked pepper
juice of two limes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Vietnamese chili paste
1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped cilantro
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
1 mango, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" chunks
4 cups watermelon chunks
1 large head butter lettuce, washed and spun dry

In a large salad bowl, pour 1/4 cup lime juice over shallots and let stand while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Season flank steak with salt and pepper and lime juice. Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium high heat (or cook on grill). Add flank steak and cook to medium rare, turning once, about 6-7 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board and let rest.

In the large bowl with lime juice and shallots, add fish sauce, sugar, chili paste and cilantro. Add cucumber, mango and watermelon. Gently toss until well coated. Divide butter lettuces among serving plates. Divide salad among butter lettuces. Garnish with super thin slices of steak. Serve.

Red, White and Blueberry Watermelon Kabobs
This is a great recipe to prepare with kids at a picnic or any summer party. Lay out the fruit in bowls and the skewers and let them each prepare their own.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 large watermelon cut into cubes
1 pint blueberries
1 pineapple, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
2 medium star fruit, sliced thin
24 long skewers

Thread the fruit in any order on the bamboo skewers ending with a thin slice of star fruit especially if you're serving this on the fourth of July.

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