Watermelon Dilemma and Refreshing Watermelon Cooler

Before I talk about the watermelon dilemma I want to talk about the Pope's visit to DC. I am definitely not a Catholic and for that matter a Christian either but I went to Catholic schools for 14 years of my life. That alone should give me a honorary membership in the Catholic church :) Doesn't matter I am not enamored with any religion. The teachings that say to see the goodness in every human being and to pay respect to mother nature is what I would consider as best forms of religion, For those who care about my religion affiliation ;)

Anyway I put aside my plan to go to DC to catch a glimpse of the pope because of the crowds that were expected there, traffic problems and setting aside a whole day for just that. Pope Francis looks very much like a man of the people and more accessible than any other pope in recent memory. Not that I am a papal watcher. The cute little Fiat that he has been traveling around in has become very popular with the security SUVs towering around the tiny little car. Anyway I was just as happy watching the whole thing on TV.

One event where nobody is taking sides and everyone looks happy and the spontaneity with which he interacts with youngsters and the general public is special. Like one of the school students who met him mentioned on TV, the pope was both humble and holy at the same time. In DC it is surprising to see everybody happy and smiling leaving aside their cynicism and partisanship. Absolutely amazing.

Now to my watermelon story,

I have not grown watermelons before. In fact I have not seen a watermelon on a vine. So it was thrilling and a bit mysterious at the same time. How can a small vine like that support that big of a fruit. The fruit is perhaps 3/4 water. What started as a tiny seedling started to grow and spread like crazy. With most fruits it is easy to tell when it ripens, the color changes obviously or you could at least use your nose to point in the right direction. All this does not work with watermelons. It starts out green and remains green. I search on the internet (where else?) to figure out how to sort this out. The internet was helpful but when it came down to it, it was still hard :)

Tiny Watermelon

To complicate matters further I had 2 kinds one was smaller and the other one was huuge or maybe it was the same seed and 2 different sizes grew, if you want to know, the watermelon is considered ripe if the side on the ground turns slightly yellow but turning around a huuge watermelon without snapping the vine is not that easy. So the first couple were for sure not ripe enough but it was still sweet mot to worry that was made into a refreshing cooling drink. The inside was a pretty pink color and another couple we harvested thinking they were ripe was still pink inside :( No worries DD2 loves watermelons ripe or not and can polish off a huge one in a couple of days.

Our neck of the woods has been under a dry smell for a month and a half. I have not been regular in watering these plants either. But it is still amazing how much water these fruits pack.

Big Watermelon

When the DDs were talking to their grandfather he mentioned that non-hybrids ones usually do not get red inside like the hybrids do. Did I mention that these had seeds inside?

The not so ripe ones and the ripe ones were put to good use - they became juice. With the addition of a couple of squeezes of lime and a few drops of honey, this was the best drink we have had in a while.

Tiny Watermelon

Watermelon Cooler
Preparation Time:15 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1/2 watermelon
2. 2 tsp of honey for 2 cups of juice
3. 1 tsp of lime juice

Method

1. Cube watermelon seeds and all and add to a blender. Run the blender till it is pulped.
2. This step is totally optional, you could either strain to remove the pulp. I strained to remove the seeds.
3. Squeeze in the lemon juice and honey and mix it well.
4. Chill and then serve or serve right away with ice cubes.

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