These Watermelon Recipes Aren't Seedy
Plus upcoming Meatup events to learn more about Good Food activism
Salad, Salsa and Sips: Three Watermelon Recipes
I’ve been having a little fun with the huge watermelons I’ve been getting from my friends at Three Sisters Garden in Kankakee, Illinois. But one does not live by plain watermelon alone, so here are some ideas that have worked well for me.
On the left above is a Greek-style watermelon feta salad from a recipe by Mark Bittman. It’s a recipe that is easy to love, as it essentially replaced the lettuce in a traditional Greek salad with watermelon, to go along with tomato, cucumber, kalamata olives, flat-leaf parsley (or mint), onion and feta. Instead of taking up space with a published recipe, click the button below for the link to the NYT Cooking site.
On the right above is a Watermelon Salsa. I’m a bit embarrassed because I cut this out of some publication, stuck it on the refrigerator and forgot where it came from, so I apologize to the authors.
This recipe is easy-peezy. Take a mixing bowl and add 2 cups of watermelon in 1/8-inch cubes; 1 large jalapeño, seeded and diced; 1/4 red onion; 1 lime juiced; 1 cup of cut basil; 1/4 tsp. salt; and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
As always, this recipe is more suggestion than rule. I substituted small white sweet onions (which I had on hand) for the red onion. Even with the seeded jalapeño, the result was very mild, so I added a small, chopped, hot Fresno pepper that I bought at SOAR Farmers Market this morning and yessir, that did the trick. If you prefer cilantro to basil, go right ahead.
When you have a lot of watermelon, you’re going to end up with a lot of watermelon juice in the bottom of your container. I drain this off once a day to make sure the fruit at the bottom doesn’t get too soggy. The juice is a super-sweet refresher on its own, and it also makes for a different and tasty mixer for cocktails.
Last night I took a crack at a non-frozen watermelon daiquiri, mixing 2 oz. watermelon juice, 2 oz. of rum and 1 oz. of lime juice. Instead of ice, which can water a drink down as it melts, I tossed in some watermelon cubes that I had in the freezer.
This recipe is basically a sour, and I’m sure it would work as well with vodka, mezcal, whiskey or gin, and you can play with the kind of citrus juice you add. I didn’t add sweeteners because the watermelon juice was just enough sweetness for me, but if you find it too tart you can also add a simple syrup or honey syrup to your taste.
Postscript: It appears I may have muffed a chance at watermelon history. I got an email from Tracey Vowell at Three Sisters Garden, who told me that if I’d put in an order for Wednesday delivery, I could have gotten this Melon-zilla, which the scale readout says is 35 pounds. Instead, she sold it to a restaurant client in downtown Chicago.
It’s probably for the best. I get by best I can with our apartment kitchen, but I seriously wouldn’t have been able to deal with this thing with our limited counter space (or to paraphrase Jaws, I think you’re going to need a bigger counter). And if you are a two-person household and your competition is a restaurant that serves hundreds of people a day, you’re better off yielding to the restaurant.
Two Events on How Shopping Local is Activism
Jody and Beth Osmund, who are among my longtime friends in the Good Food community, are co-owners at Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm in Ottawa, Illinois. They are both passionate advocates for a better food system, and over the next few weeks will host two events in our area under the title of “Shopping Local is Activism.”
These events will be held at two of our excellent craft breweries that are also drop sites for Cedar Valley’s meat CSA (community supported agriculture) customers: Kinslahger Brewing Company at 6806 West Roosevelt in Oak Park on Sunday, September 18, and Begyle Brewing at 1800 W. Cuyler on Malt Row in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood.
You'll learn how you can have a positive impact on your community when you make thoughtful choices about where you spend your money. These will be informational presentations with time to discuss and share.
Jody and Beth created the first meat CSA farm in Illinois. According to Beth, CSA is a mutually beneficial relationship between eaters and farmers: Members know where their food is raised and how the animals are cared for, and farmers have a business model that lets them plan for the future. They deliver a selection of locally raised beef, pork, chicken and eggs each month to locations throughout the city.
In addition to their commitment to bringing the best meat CSA share available to the Chicago area each month, Jody and Beth are activist farmers who speak out about policy issues and advocate for a just food system.
Jody works closely with the Illinois Stewardship Alliance as a founding member of their Local Food Farmer Caucus, and both have many years of presenting farmer-to-farmer training at conferences. They maintain a close relationship with their Illinois state representative and frequently participate in direct advocacy.
The events are free to attend but RSVPs are requested. Click below to register.