Watermelon

Do you love watermelon, but hate cleaning it? Me too!

Whenever I get a watermelon I always cut it in half, clean it and cube it to eat right away. The other half usually goes into the fridge with the rind still on. Seems reasonable, right. Well, the problem is that it reminds me every time I open the fridge that the other half of the watermelon needs my attention and that it's taking up a whole lot of space. But the thought of making a mess again keeps that half in the fridge longer than it needs to be.

My solution to this dilemma was to tackle the whole watermelon at once. A little more work at the start, but worth it.

I cut my watermelon in to quarters and removed all the rind. Then I placed each quarter into a plastic bag. This method doesn't take away the chore of cleaning the watermelon. It just makes it so you only have to do the chore once. And now when you open your fridge, you are happy to see chilled ready to eat watermelon instead of the other half that represents work.

The watermelon stayed fresh in the fridge for a couple of weeks and because they are cut into quarters they are easier to fit in your fridge. The other reason I cut them into quarters instead of chunking it all up is that the quarters stay fresher longer.

My favorite watermelon is the Hermiston Seedless from Hermiston, Oregon. They are firm and sweet and give off very litte water when cutting and storing. 

When picking a watermelon - look for one that is a dark green color with a yellow patch on the bottom and is heavier than it appears. I tried thumping, but am not good at recognizing the sound so I stick with visuals and weight. So far I have been lucky with this method.

Another watermelon that I tried this year was the black watermelon. Possibly the best watermelon I ever had. But harder to come by.

What's your favorite watermelon?