Nothing quite like a juicy watermelon

 In May I planted a couple of watermelon plants.....really just for fun.  I tried planting them in Denver but no luck.  What the heck.  There was a place in my front yard that got lots of sun and nothing was growing so I planted some.  Non GMO, etc.  Well I was lucky and harvested five just this last month. One small one and 4 huge......18-21 pounds each.  Ok when do you harvest these guys?  I guess you find out if you did it right when you cut into it:

moon and stars cut

Yep!  It's ripe.  It made a beautiful splash...swish sound when the knife cut into it and it split open.  Yes there are seeds.....big beautiful black ones.  Remember not GMO.  Watermelon have seeds...at least they did when I was a kid.  Mom would cut us a slice and we would have to eat it outside so we could spit the seeds out with enthusiasm......probably the only time it was ok to spit.

on the vine

This is what a watermelon looks like growing on a vine.  This one is a stripy one

moon and stars, after the rain

This one is called "Moon and Stars".  Can you see how it got its name?

moon and stars, 21 pounds

I only had one moon and stars o harvest but it weighed 21 pounds.....that's a lot for a watermelon

watermelon margarita

I have been just eating it cold and enjoying spitting out the seeds but watermelon juice makes a good base for a Margarita:

1 quart watermelon juice

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

sweeten with Agave or simple syrup (or a ginger simple syrup)

fresh grated ginger

Rim the glass with lime juice or ginger and sugar

Not quite the Jimmy Buffett version of a Margarita but it is 

amazing

Happy watermelon seed spitting

Watermelon ginger limeade- Ahh! refreshing on a 95 degree day

It's hot today!  So watermelon limeade  should hit the spot.  I was tempted by this recipe in last month's Epicurious by Emeril Lagasse http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/watermelon-limeade?mbid=nl_fig_010_07072016_Daily&CNDID=43579668  and then had some new ideas.

Mis en place

Recipe:

1quart watermelon juice  (1 small watermelon- made about 1 .5 quarts of watermelon juice)

1 cup lime juice

1/2 inch grated ginger

Agave nectar- to taste

lime slices

crystallized ginger pieces

sparkling water

tequila for later in the day

Cut watermelon into about 1 inch squares and place in blender a batch at a time. Use fine mesh strainer over a bowl to separate the pulp.  Grate about a half inch of a piece of ginger.  Add the lime juice and the ginger to the watermelon juice and stir.  Add the Agave nectar (or sugar) to taste.  I used less than 1/4 cup for the whole batch.  Choose a glass; add ice and rub the rim with a lime slice.  Then rub the rim a second time with the crystallized ginger.  Pour the limeade into the glass.  Add sparkling water for daytime or a shot of tequila at 5 o'clock!