Tropical Friday…Watermelon…

The Watermelon is very plentiful here at the moment and a fresh fruit platter is very nice and refreshing. Fruit is generally always served after a meal here in Thailand and generally fruit in season is a lovely end to a meal.

 

At the moment it is very plentiful here but not only is it a lovely fruit but it is also packed full of goodness.

Originating in Africa watermelons are pretty much available worldwide, prized not only for their water content in many countries it is also used medicinally and records show used as far back as the Egyptians.

Packed with vitamin C it is like the tomato packed with Lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant.

It is also lovely either as a shake on its own or with other fruits.

I am really getting into this smoothie making and today I think is one of my favourite smoothies. I am learning to get the right amount and what I do is take the glass I am going to drink it from and fill the glass with my fruit that way I make just enough and if I am making more than one glass then I double up but it eliminates the guesswork.

Today’s smoothie was a mixture of fruit and vegetables. Try as I may as I know how healthy it is and we have so many watermelons we grow them on the farm our neighbours grow them and are always passing one over the garden wall…I am not a fan of watermelon which is why I always add something to mine which takes away the inherent sweetness of the watermelon.

 

I used a large chunk of  Pineapple, Watermelon, yellow melon. A slice of tomato, a slice of beetroot, a piece of carrot and a little ice.

Then into the liquidiser and a blitz for a minute and voila a lovely smoothie.

Waste not want not has always been my aim and motto I also love pickles… how often have you bought a watermelon and thrown away the rind?? Hands up! I have or I did until I discovered a lovely recipe for Pickled Watermelon Rind.

Now I make a lot of pickles and this one thing I hadn’t thought of pickling… you live and learn, don’t you?

Ingredients:

  • 4lb of Watermelon
  • 1 chilli thinly sliced
  • 1-inch piece fresh ginger finely sliced or diced
  • 2 Star Anise
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 4 tsp salt I use fresh mineral salt dried here
  • 1 cup of rice vinegar
  • 1 cup of sugar

Let’s Cook!

Using a vegetable peeler remove the outer green rind and slice the watermelon into I inch slices. Cutaway all but 1/4 inch of the flesh (it is) the white part we are pickling. The red flesh I keep for smoothies or ice cream or a nice salad with feta cheese.

Then cut the rind into 1-inch pieces.

Add the chilli, ginger, star anise, salt, pepper, rice vinegar and sugar plus ½ cup of water together in a pan, bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar then turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the watermelon rind and bring back to a rolling boil and then again reducing the heat to a simmer for 5 mins or until the rinds are just tender. Remove the pan from the heat, and leave the liquid to cool down. You may need to weigh the watermelon down with a plate or lid, as it needs to stay submerged in the liquid until cool.

 

Once cooled then transfer to a container with a well-fitting lid and refrigerate for at least 12 hours before you eat…This will keep refrigerated for about 2/3 weeks if it lasts that long…lol

My daughter in law took some of this to her village and they loved it …I thought maybe it would be too vinegary for them but no although they did suggest that next time I made it add some tamarind which I think( as) I love Tamarind is a great idea.

Watermelon, Feta and Mint I love again the feta and mint take away the sweetness and adds a saltiness from the feta and the freshness of mint it is delicious and so refreshing…

I love this as you make to order as little or as much as you like ..you can either cut your feta into cubes or just crumble it over the top…Finely shred some mint leaves a little grated lime zest…

You could add a twist or two of black pepper, some thinly sliced chilli pepper, thinly sliced shallot, how about a few thinly sliced olives …cucumber watermelon will take all this on board and makes such a lovely refreshing salad…You can assemble it all pop it in the fridge and add the feta just before serving…

I am lucky I can pick mine but if you are buying from the supermarket then here are a few things to look out for:

  1. Look for watermelons that feel relatively heavy for their size. Watermelons that grow too fast or big can end up with hollow cracks and crevices, making them feel lighter. These watermelons typically also have a more watered-down flavour. Dense watermelons should taste sweeter and have a better aroma.
  2. Look for melons that show signs of a clean break at the stem. Watermelons, like all fruit, are attached at one end to their parent plants. When they reach peak ripeness, the stem will often automatically detach, leaving a clean crater behind. When the melons are picked less ripe, the stem often refuses to break free cleanly, leaving behind part or all of itself at the attachment site. This doesn’t mean all watermelons with some stem attached won’t be good—many still are—but a clean stem crater is generally a very good sign.
  3. Rap the watermelon with your knuckles. Watermelons that sound very hollow…probably are. Don’t put them in your trolley…
  4. Look for smaller varieties. Smaller melon varieties often (but not always) have a more concentrated flavour.

That’s all for today enjoy your watermelon…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

44 thoughts on “Tropical Friday…Watermelon…”

  1. Pingback: Smorgasbord Health with Sally Cronin and Carol Taylor – Cook from Scratch to prevent nutritional deficiency – Vitamin B1 – Wholegrains, Mackeral, Pork, Pineapple, Eggs, Asparagus | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

  2. Pingback: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…August 1st-7th 2021…It’s Gold, Music, Mariculture, Tamarind and Watermelon… | Retired? No one told me!

  6. D. Wallace Peach

    My family is made up of watermelon gobblers, Carol. We love them. Thanks for the recipe with mint and feta. That sounds tasty and a bit different. And thanks for the tips to pick a good one. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Pingback: Tropical Friday…Watermelon… – MobsterTiger

  11. Pingback: Tropical Friday…Feijoa Fruit “Green Gold” | Retired? No one told me!

  12. Pingback: Thailand…Down on the Farm…Mango scraps and BBQ sauce… | Retired? No one told me!

  13. Pingback: Thailand…Down on the Farm…Mango scraps and BBQ sauce… | Retired? No one told me!

  14. Pingback: CarolCooks2…This week in my kitchen…Pickled Watermelon rinds, Chicken Jalfrazi, Orange Peel… | Retired? No one told me!

  15. Pingback: Smorgasbord Health Column with Sally Cronin and Carol Taylor – Cook from Scratch to prevent nutritional deficiency | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

  16. Pingback: Just Pickled… Pineapple | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

  17. Pingback: Just Pickled… Pineapple | Retired? No one told me!

    1. Carol Post author

      Thank you, Megla I am waiting for someone to send me the recipe as she uses them in a stir fry which is interesting…There is so much you can do with one food item when you think of it and if you go around the world so many different uses for that one thing…I think it is awesome 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Carol Post author

        Thank you, Megla I will pop over and check it out…I am pickling pineapple at the moment with Jalapenos which I am hoping will be nice… I have just made pineapple smoothie with my grandaughter (5 yrs) we added chilli which she loves and only myself and Lily liked it..haha…But I like to encourage them to think about flavours and we try all sorts some works and some does not…lol.. Thank you for the link 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Carol Post author

        Popped over and it was a great recipe which I will be trying…I have followed her as I think she may have some cool recipes , a bit different:)

        Liked by 1 person

  20. Pingback: Smorgasbord Weekly Round Up – Madonna, Molly Bloom, Easter Treats and Predictions. | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

    1. Carol Post author

      Thank you, Susanne …I hope you enjoy it…There are so many fruits and vegetables which can be eaten/cooked in so many different ways I am always discovering new ways…The power of the internet and from the people where I now live… 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Carol Post author

      It is amazing how many cooks throw away the most nutritious part of a fruit /vegetable…Just a little thought and it becomes edible and most enjoyable like the Watermelon rind it is very nice 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Pingback: Fruity Fridays On A Sunday: Watermelon. – The Militant Negro™

    1. Carol Post author

      Thank you so much Juiseppe..I have been out action for the best part of this week…No Internet to my laptop courtesy of a windows update..so a tad behind with my posts..I hope you are having a good weekend 🙂

      Like

Comments are closed.