Watermelon for Labor Day

A collection of fun facts and recipes

Issue of August 29, 2008

Back in the day (yeah, like I’m so old) Labor Day was not only the last hurrah of the summer vacation; it was the day before school started. Now, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a day of respite for students who’ve already started classes (a celebration for child weary parents around the country) and a day of food, food and more food, usually served in a picnic state of mind. Yes, I know that “Labor Day” is a creation and celebration of the labor movement in the U.S. of A and is dedicated to honoring the social and economic accomplishments of American workers, but truly, it’s also about a fun day stuffing your face.

While many would say this should be a column that glorifies the grill, I choose to honor one of my favorite fruits, the beloved and ever popular watermelon.

The watermelon is a guiltless food. You can have almost as much as you want and never even notice a blip when you jump on the scale. It’s 92 percent water and the rest is pure enjoyment. It’s also really good for you. Once the rind is discarded, a two pound wedge contains about half the daily adult requirement of vitamins A and C and it won’t clog your arteries. This fruit is almost perfect.

Most of us have only had the pleasure of eating watermelon just as nature intended it: cold and right out of the rind. However, sometimes, if I can’t wait and if the melon isn’t quite as cold as I want it to be, I add a little sprinkle of salt to it and gobble it down, fighting my kids tooth and nail for the last piece. The salt brings out the sweetness.

When choosing your watermelon, look for a firm, symmetrical watermelon that is free from bruises, cuts or dents.

Lift it up. It should be heavy for its size. The underside of the watermelon should have a creamy yellow spot from where it sat on the ground and ripened in the sun.

Watermelons should be available for several more weeks, so I figured I’d better find some recipes that took my watermelon obsession to a higher level and let me incorporate it into totally new areas of my menus.

The following recipes are the happy results of my search. There’s something for everyone and then some.

WATERMELON POPSICLES (pareve)

Popsicle molds are sold at many stores

2 1/2 cups seeded diced watermelon

1/2 cup fresh raspberries or frozen unsweetened, thawed

6 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Combine all ingredients in blender; puree until smooth. Strain into 2-cup glass measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Pour puree into Popsicle molds, dividing equally. Freeze overnight. (Can be prepared one week ahead. Keep frozen.) Makes about 8 1/4-cup popsicles.

WATERMELON BERRY SLUSHIE (pareve)

4 cups watermelon; cubed and seeded

10 oz package frozen raspberries; unthawed

12 oz bottle sparkling mineral water

Place a single layer of watermelon in a shallow pan; freeze until firm. Remove watermelon from freezer and let stand 5 minutes. Drop watermelon through food chute of a food processor or blender with the motor running. Add frozen chunks of raspberries alternately with mineral water, processing until smooth. Makes 5 1/2 cups

WATERMELON SALSA (pareve)

3 cups watermelon, diced medium

1/2 cup red onion, diced small

1/2 cup sweet red pepper, medium

1/2 cup Florida tomato, diced medium

1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, minced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl combine all ingredients, toss gently and refrigerate for 2 hours. Serve cold or slightly warm with your favorite fish or chicken. Makes 4-6 servings

WATERMELON MUFFINS

(dairy or pareve)

1/2 cup watermelon juice

1/2 cup watermelon pulp

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

6 tablespoons butter or pareve margarine, room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk or non dairy substitute

1/2 cup raisins

2 eggs

1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In an electric mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar; add eggs. Whip in the milk, juice, pulp and raisins. Add wet mixture to the dry ingredients and spoon the batter into a greased muffin pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden on top. Transfer the muffins to wire rack to cool. Makes 12

WATERMELON LEMONADE (pareve)

6 cups watermelon, cubed and seeded

1/2 cup strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries

1 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

Place the watermelon, raspberries and water in a blender; cover and blend until smooth. Strain through fine mesh strainer into pitcher (you can leave some pulp in if you like). Stir in sugar and lemon juice until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Makes 4 servings. Don’t try and double this, just make batches.