W is for Watermelon

 

Oh, how I love watermelon!

When I was a kid, we had it a lot in the summer. My dad also loves watermelon, and his favorite kind is called a Black Diamond: solid green and more round than oblong. When HE was a kid, he got in trouble for standing in the watermelon patch and cutting just the hearts out of the watermelons and eating them (hey, he gave the rest to the cows, so no waste!). I mean, it's the best part and all. 

He also told me if I swallowed any of the seeds in a watermelon that one would start growing in my tummy. I was TERRIFIED of that happening (he also had me convinced that cows that lived in the mountains had two legs shorter than the other two, so they wouldn't tip over, among other things he told me and I believed). Now that seedless watermelons are a thing, it removes that threat and I can enjoy watermelon without fear of growing one.

I am terrible at picking out watermelons (and my dad says he is, too). I've read all the articles and hints, and I still manage to pick the worst one out of the bin on many occasions. I soldier through, though, and eat as much of it as I can before giving up. But oh, if I'm lucky enough to get the perfectly ripe, red watermelon that is dripping with juice! It's worth the sacrifice of picking out some, er, lemons, so to speak. (And for the record, I HATE anything that is watermelon flavored; give me the real thing or nothing at all.)

Probably the number one reason I get some watermelon duds is because, in my excitement for watermelon season, I buy them way too early in the season. The really good ones don't ripen locally until around the 4th of July, and the best, BEST place to find them is at an Old Order Mennonite farming community near Rich Hill, Missouri, about a half hour's drive from my dad's house. They have a booming wholesale business selling watermelon and also cantaloupes that are almost as big as basketballs and sweeter than sugar, and they also have a kind of co-op fruit and vegetable market with goods coming straight from their gardens. (Bear in mind this entire business is done without electricity, using work horses pulling plows instead of modern equipment and paper and pencil instead of calculators and computers.)

So I'm ready for some delicious, fresh watermelon, but it's entirely too early in the season, sooooo....

Nom nom nom

These Watermelon Rice Krispies Treats that I found on Pinterest were fun, not that hard, and sweet and delicious (although not juicy). 

You make them just like any other Rice Krispies treats, except you do it in two batches. Batch #1 is made with the addition of green food coloring, batch #2 is made with pink food coloring.

Melt marshmallows with butter

Add green food coloring

Stir in the Rice Krispies and pour into
9" cake pan that has been sprayed 
with cooking spray

Smoosh the mixture around the edges,
but not too firmly, or the whole thing
will be hard as a rock instead of 
squishy and marshmallowy

Do the same thing again, only
this time, make it pink

Smoosh the pink mixture inside
the green ring and make sure it
presses into the green layer 
well so it doesn't separate

Add chocolate chip "seeds" by 
pressing them into the spaces between
the Rice Krispies. Note: I picked them
out of mine before eating, because 
I prefer seedless watermelon....

And there you go! Watermelon that is in season any time and is never under (or over) ripe!