I finished my masters program last week (yay!) so we had some folks over for a bbq style potluck after the ceremony. My friends know how to do it up right, and without fail, we always have too much food. Between multiple melons and one Edible Arrangement, my fridge has been stocked full of fruit for days.
We've been mostly eating it on its own, but it didn't seem like it was going to last much longer so I blended half of the remaining watermelon and put it in the freezer. I'm thinking slushie watermelon cocktails once the weather really warms...
I used the remaining watermelon and cantaloupe to make this salad which is a slightly altered version of one my friend Erin recently made.
- Approximately 3 cups cubed melon
- Handful of blanched snap peas
- 1/2 cup chopped unsalted dry roasted peanuts
- Chopped fresh mint, thai basil, cilantro, and cilantro flowers
- Juice of one lime
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
Also, did you know you can eat cilantro flowers?
I can't say that I'm big on edible flowers, but I threw a couple in there to try it out, and they're delicious! They have a strong almost concentrated cilantro taste. I recently saved a bolted cilantro plant so that I could harvest coriander seeds. Unfortunately, waiting for coriander seeds can take several weeks after the plant flowers (especially if it's not very hot). So, if you're growing impatient waiting on your coriander, you can add cilantro flowers to salads and salsas. Cilantro flowers also attract bees and other beneficial insects to your garden, so if you have the space, try letting one bolt this summer.
WATERMELON RIND CHUTNEY
I am a southerner, "born and bred" as they say, and I do love watermelon rind pickles. I like them because they're usually sweet and crunchy, and I also like the idea of using all of the watermelon. I wanted to make something different, so I started looking through the food preservation book my mom bought me the last time she was in town. Thanks, Mom!
I used the green tomato chutney recipe as a guide and came up with this version of watermelon rind chutney. It's kinda like a jam, kinda like a relish, and sweet and spicy at the same time.
1. Begin by removing both the skin and most of the red fruit from the white rind. Slice or chop the rind, cover with saltwater, and leave overnight in a bowl or jar. I had about 5 cups watermelon rind.
I had two varieties of watermelon and noticed that the rind was much thicker and crisper on one of the melons compared to the other. If you're growing your own watermelons and plan to do some pickling, you can read all you'd ever care to know about about various watermelon varieties and their rind circumferences here.
2. The next day, rinse your watermelon, and put it in a saucepan with:-
-1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
-1/2 cup water
-1 cup sugar
-2 tablespoons minced jalapeno
-2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
-1 tsp black peppercorns
-1 tsp pickling spice
-1/2 tsp ground clove
-1/2 tsp ground allspice
3. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for a little under an hour, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened. It really does turn a pretty jeweled color. This didn't make enough to justify formally processing and canning, so I plan to refrigerate one jar and give the other to a friend. This should keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
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