Watermelon: Tips and Tricks

One of my favorite things about summer is the abundance of fresh fruits.  I love eating fruit year round, but it's even better to enjoy fruits that are in season.  I eat a big bowl of fruit every morning with my breakfast; it's a delicious, filling, and healthy way to start my day.

This week I'll be sharing some posts about fruit.  I have discovered some tricks to keeping fruit fresh longer, as well as some tips for cutting certain fruits.  If you love fruit as much as I do, I hope you'll find these tips and tricks helpful.

First up is watermelon.  I think I can credit my uncle for my love of watermelon!  I remember visiting him in Kentucky and sitting by his pool eating an enormous slice of watermelon.  I'm not exaggerating either--he cut a watermelon into quarters and my brother and I each had a quarter.  It was delicious!

I grew up cutting watermelon into slices, cutting through the rind, and ending up with some very uneven pieces.  I don't remember where I learned this trick for cutting up a watermelon, but it has become my go-to method.  This way results in a minimal amount of wasted flesh, as well as fairly even chunks.  I would recommend using this method for cutting if you are planning to use the watermelon in a fruit salad or planning to store cut up melon in the fridge.

When you purchase your watermelon, you'll want to look for a fruit that is dull green.  Look for a white-yellow circle on the bottom, this indicates that the melon was left in one spot to ripen, and that's a good thing.    Give the watermelon a slap; if it sounds hollow, you have a good melon!

I cut up this watermelon for our 4th of July lunch.  Special thanks to Mike and my mom for taking pictures of the process for me!

To begin, place your watermelon on a clean cutting board.  You'll need a good sharp knife.

Slice off both ends of the watermelon.

Stand the melon up on one of the sliced ends.  Following the curves of the watermelon, slice the rind off vertically.

Continue to slice off the rind until the whole fruit is bare.  If necessary, slice off any white pieces you may have missed.

When the flesh is completely exposed, lay the watermelon on one side and slice into rounds.

Slice each watermelon round into chunks.

Place chunks in a bowl and enjoy!

Cut watermelon can be served immediately, or stored in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to serve.  I find that when properly stored, cut watermelon lasts about 1 week in the fridge (though it's rare that it lasts that long in my house!)

Other Fruit Tips and Tricks:
Strawberries
Blueberries
Mangoes