Oregon watermelons are typically harvested beginning in mid-July, but I’m already seeing melons in stores, imported from other parts of the country of course. These imported melons can still be sweet and delicious, so if you’ve got a hankering, I say go for it and get yourself one for this Memorial Day weekend, also known as the kickoff to summer weekend. If you prefer waiting for a local melon, save these two easy recipes for the 4th of July perhaps.
Did you know that more than 50 varieties of watermelons are grown around the world? While nearly 80% of all U.S. watermelons come from four states – Florida, Georgia, Texas and California, they can grow almost anywhere. Take a cross country summertime road trip and you’re likely to drive through many towns proclaiming themselves to be the “watermelon capital” or hear about watermelon festivals or witness the crowning of watermelon queens all along the way. It’s a classic fruit that never seems to go out of style and compared with other fruits, watermelon is lower in carbohydrates while rich in nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin A and the antioxidant Lycopene.
Just seeing those round, green-striped melons piled high in the market bins takes me back to sunshine and childhood. I can’t help but smile thinking about that sweet, red juice running down my face as I’m spitting out slippery black seeds.
While some fruits continue to ripen once picked, a watermelon will not. So how do you tell if that melon you’re eyeing is, for sure, ripe? Beats me!! But there are melon experts who claim there are ways of knowing. One way is to look at the melon’s underside or belly, also called a “field spot”. This spot should be yellowish and not white. Another way is to thump the watermelon with your knuckles. A ripe melon will sound like a knock at the door, not too high-pitched, which would mean it’s unripe and not like a “thud” which would mean it’s overripe.
Other things to be aware of include the smell (a ripe melon will smell slightly sweet), the weight (choose the heavier one of similarly-sized melons) and the webbing, also called sugar spots. The webbing is those veinlike markings, and the more of it you see, the sweeter the melon, supposedly. Round watermelons are also usually sweeter than oblong melons; don’t ask me why. I’m just the reporter here.
I’ve also learned that there are four categories of watermelons: icebox (from 5 to 15 pounds), picnic (15-50+ pounds), seedless (although they still contain tiny, white, edible immature seeds) and yellow-orange fleshed (10-30 pounds, seedless or with seeds). Flesh color can range from the familiar reddish-pink to white, yellow and orange.
A slice of perfectly ripe, juicy, sweet melon is divine as is, needing nothing to enhance its flavor, but sometimes it’s fun to mix it up. If I slice into a melon and it’s not quite as sweet as I was hoping it would be, then it’s time to amp up the flavor in a couple of easy, delicious recipes, such as the salsa and salad ones I’m sharing here.
Dice up some melon and make this tasty salsa which is great on fish tacos. Or top some cubed melon with a few simple ingredients and add feta cheese for a satisfying sweet and salty combo. You could also cut the melon into thick slices and grill them. The heat caramelizes the natural sugars making for a simple, luxurious summertime dessert.
Oh, by the way, watermelon is safe for dogs too; just remove any seeds and don’t let them eat the rind.
Watermelon Salsa
Serves 6-8
– 2 cups diced watermelon
– ½ cup diced red onion (or yellow onion)
– ¼ to ½ jalapeño pepper, minced (seeds removed) OR yellow bell pepper
– ¼ cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
– 1-2 limes, zested and juiced
– 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
– Salt, to taste
– Pepper, to taste
– Green onion, thinly sliced, for garnish, as desired
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Taste and add more lime, jalapeño and seasonings as desired. Let salsa chill in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Garnish with green onion and more cilantro, as desired.
Serve with chips, crackers, fish tacos, grilled meats, etc.
Watermelon Mint Salad
Serves 4 to 6
– 4-6 cups cubed watermelon, rind removed
– Olive oil, for drizzling
– Kosher salt, as desired
– Tajîn chili/lime seasoning, as desired (or any combination of chili powder, lime zest, cumin and oregano seasoning)
– Crumbled feta cheese, as desired
– ¼ cup torn fresh mint leaves
Place watermelon
cubes on a serving platter. Drizzle with oil olive. Sprinkle with salt and
seasoning as desired. Top with crumbled feta cheese and torn mint leaves. Serve
immediately.
Related Stories
Grilled Mexican Corn And Charred Corn Salad
This article appears in Source Weekly May 18, 2023.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
