Summer’s Sweetest Veggie

Just the other day, I stopped at a local farmstand and to my surprise was greeted with a tray of fresh watermelon squares. The woman asked me if I would like to try some and just as I was reaching for the toothpick, I stopped. “Why is this watermelon yellow?” I asked. “Oh, this is our Yellow Doll watermelon.” As I placed the square into my mouth, I was taken back by the sweet, fresh taste. Watermelon is not only one of summertime’s sweetest treats, it is also fun to eat and good for you, too.
Here in the Hamptons, you can find a variety of watermelons at any local farmstand or supermarket. Watermelon is a tender, warm-season vegetable and can be grown in all parts of the country. However, the warmer temperatures especially favor this vegetable. Today, there are more than 100 different varieties of watermelons. The flesh may be red, pink, orange or yellow.
So, after trying that Yellow Doll watermelon, I decided to buy one for my family to try as well. I brought it home and cut it crossways, then sliced the resulting round slabs into halves and quarters. I placed it on a nice serving tray that had large, fluffy designs of watermelon leaves on it. When my family returned home to see how domesticated their twenty-something had become, I was faced with yet another challenge for the old watermelon. “Oh, honey, this is so good, why didn’t you make melon balls?” Melon balls, I thought?
Apparently we have a melon baller, which I had previously used as the ice cream scooper, but we won’t tell Mom about that. Melon ballers are relatively inexpensive and can come in funky shapes like a heart, diamond or wavy ridges. The handles can even have fun designs on them, too. Using the twist of the wrist, you can scoop all the watermelon into balls. The watermelon shell can be used to hold the melon balls as well as other fruit for a nice decorative fruit salad.
The great thing about watermelons is that everything about them is edible. Watermelon rinds are sometimes used as a vegetable in stir-fry dishes and can be stewed and pickled. Watermelon seeds are also rich in fat and protein and are widely eaten as a snack, added to other dishes, or used as an oilseed. Of course, there are also seedless watermelons that are grown out here, containing a few white seeds in their flesh.
After receiving the melon baller advice from my family, my sister walked in the door and asked if there was any more watermelon that I had yet to slice. Upon my negative answer, she told me how she would have loved to make a delicious alcoholic watermelon cocktail with the Yellow Doll. I explained to her that I have already had a nice watermelon martini at one of the many al fresco dining areas here in the Hamptons, but my sister proceeded to roll her eyes. “No, my idea is not to just garnish with the watermelon but to actually make the watermelon flesh alcohol.” Since the watermelon is 92 percent water by weight, I figured this couldn’t be too difficult.
My sister explained that the easiest way to make a “hard watermelon” is to bore a hole in the watermelon, pour liquor inside and allow it to mix with the flesh. The watermelon is then cut and served at room temperature or cold. I promised that on my next trip to the farmstand that I would grab an extra watermelon for happy hour.
There are so many things to do with a watermelon, some artists even cut the shell and make creative designs with the rind. Even though watermelon is one of America’s favorite fruits, it is actually a vegetable, but don’t tell your children that it is good for them. Watermelons are low in calories and very nutritious. They are also high in lycopene, second only to tomatoes. Recent research suggests that lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, is effective in preventing some forms of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Watermelon is also an excellent source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
Who knew that vegetables could taste so good? Watermelons can serve as a delicious treat, a creative outlet, and a refreshing afternoon cocktail. Here on the East End, the watermelons are grown fresh locally. We all can remember hot summer days with their red juice running down our chins. It is a great way to re-connect with those dusty memories. So, go out there and get yourself, and your family, a watermelon, I promise there are a lot of sweet things to learn.
–Victoria L. Cooper