Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Keeping Watermelon Fresh


Happy Birthday Big K!
We are SO glad you were born.
(Barack, you too!)



It's the heart of melon time and we've been doing our part
to support watermelon farmers.
We all love it and it's one of the best ways to cool down.
We usually buy the larger melons and have enough to share with neighbors.
Once the melon gets cut up,
it doesn't last that long in the fridge.
How does one keep it from getting soggy and water-logged?


 There's probably a gizmo that can be bought,
but I came up with my own solution.
I simply cut up some small containers that were going to be recycled.


They were placed in the bottom of a quart-sized jar.
I like to cube up and store our melon in jars,
so that we can see how much we have left.
(I prefer glass jars for most things, in fact,
and if I can figure out how to substitute using even this bit of plastic, I will.
Like many folks, we are working on decreasing our dependence on plastic.)


 The cut plastic pieces were placed in the bottom of the jar,
snug enough to cause the middle part to be raised just a bit.
(This idea is similar to the little plastic disk
that keeps the pizza from sticking to the top of the box.)


 With the melon on top of the "bridge",
the liquid can drain to the bottom of the jar,
keeping the watermelon on top crisp and juicy.
This has made our melon last longer,
so that we can actually finish the whole thing!
This can be used with other melons too.


The chooks get the rinds,
but they don't need any gizmos.
They eat it up so fast, it doesn't have a chance to get soggy!

In case you do have more watermelon than you can eat,
try this delicious and refreshing drink:

Watermelon Lemonade

8 C watermelon
1/2 C lemon juice
1/2 C sugar (or honey)
2 C water

Add the watermelon to a blender
or food processor and whiz until liquified.
Strain with a sieve.
Add all ingredients to jar or juice container.
Mix well.


What's your favorite type of summer melon?

Here's a past post about cutting up watermelon:






8 comments:

  1. I love this idea! I have a watermelon to cut up, and am going to do this. Thanks! I love a good honeydew, which are hard to come by these days. Somehow, I've not grown any yet, but need to look for seeds, now that you've got me thinking of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's probably something out there that would work better, but I used what I had on hand.
      Enjoy your melon!

      Delete
  2. Daisy, melons are just not my thing. I'd rather have sweet corn, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. Do you grow any of your own melons? I did try to grow some watermelons but it takes a long time and they need lots of water. It just didn't work out well. I'm much better at growing squash. The tomatoes are slow in ripening here in Nebraska but one days they will all get ripe at one time. I've only had a hand full so far.

    I made a batch of refrigerator pickles and they are marinating in the fridge for a few days. Everyone says they are tasty so I'll check it out in another couple days. I shredded up some of the zucchini and froze it for future use. I came across a recipe for fritters that I want to try. I'm expanding my cooking and processing skills.

    Have a great melon eating day.

    Nebraska Dave
    Urban Farmer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, we have a few melons out there right now, but unfortunately, because of recent discoveries, won’t be able to eat them. Next year. 😌
      It sounds like you don’t have much of a sweet tooth. Lucky you!
      Hope you enjoy your pickles!
      Always good to see you here.

      Delete
  3. Watermelon is my absolute favorite! I try to eat as much as I can during the summer. I like to buy watermelons from trucks on the side of the road--that's where I usually find the best ones. I love your idea for preventing sogginess. I am going to try it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. It’s so quenching, isn’t it? We had some of the lemonade I mentioned here yesterday and it was SO good!
    Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy belated Birthday Big K!! That's a fabulous idea for watermelon - one of my absolute favorite summer treats. I'm definitely going to do that! The watermelon lemonade sounds refreshing and delicious. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it really hits the spot in the heat!
      Thank you for visiting!

      Delete

Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts!