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8 Things To Know About Watermelon

6/27/2014

There is nothing that says 'summer' quite like cold, crisp, sweet, juice-running-down-your-chin watermelon. Nearly everyone likes watermelon and the few who don't, well, what can I say?

I was prompted to write this post after purchasing 2 watermelons last weekend for a party at my house. The first one was a 'grab it and go' selection. The entire inside was mush and juice that ran everywhere when I cut into it. Yuck. A quick trip to a nearby grocery and I had another one. It was solid and edible but light pink and not the sweetness I desired.

I decided to do some 'melon research' (after the fact, of course). I am going to share all the good information I learned. Applause, please.

#1) Watermelons are NOT a fruit; they are a vegetable and related to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash. Do NOT, under any circumstances, tell your children they are a vegetable.

#2) There are over 1200 varieties; with 50 being the most common. Only 50? I have enough trouble choosing when there are only a few varieties available. The seedless ones were introduced nearly 50 years ago. I realize some folks believe they aren't as sweet as the seeded varieties, but as a former caterer, I thanked God many times for the seedless watermelons.

#3) A watermelon should be heavy due to the fact it is 92% water. I'm trying to figure out how I can use that as an excuse for my rather rotund figure; maybe say I am heavy due to being over 90% water?

#4) The first watermelons are believed to have been in Egypt, thousands of years ago. There are hieroglyphics on cave walls depicting melons. If I was going to spend hours in a cave chiseling or drawing, I think I might have found something a little more interesting than a melon.

#5) Watermelons are grown in 44 of the 50 states, with FL, TX, GA, CA and AZ leading the way. I'm impressed they are grown in all the states but 6.

#6) The largest watermelon, according to Guinness World Records, was grown by Lloyd Bright of Arkansas in 2005. It weighed in at 268.8 pounds. I can't even think of a comment for that.

#7)In Japan and China, a watermelon is a very popular gift for a host or hostess. It would be less expensive than a bottle of good wine, but how the heck do you wrap a watermelon?

Now that you are armed with all those non-essential facts, here's the ones you do need to know before your next trip to the grocery or farm market.

How To Choose the Perfect Watermelon:

a) Lift it; it should be solid and heavy (remember all that water)

b) The tendril on the blossom end should be dried and shriveled.

c) There should be a cream-colored patch on the bottom where it laid on the ground and the sun did not hit it.

d) Last, but not least, 'thump' it with your knuckles. It should have a deep hollow sound.

Will all these absolutely guarantee a perfectly ripe melon? No. There is no guarantee, but they may help.

**Remember to wash the outside thoroughly, even if you aren't going to eat the rind.

The best melon is the one you just ate and the juice is running down your chin.

Frozen Watermelon LemonadeMakes 6-8 servings

Ingredients

3 cups watermelon cubes, seeds removed
1/2 cup raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups strawberry-flavored, calorie-free carbonated water, chilled

How to make it…

Place watermelon cubes and raspberries in a blender; process until smooth. Pour through a sieve; discard pulp.
Combine the sugar and water in the small saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly, just until the sugar dissolves. Set aside allow to cool slightly.
Stir the sugar-water and lemon juice onto the watermelon raspberry juice mixture. Pour the juice mixture onto a covered freezer container. Freeze until firm
Using an ice cream scoop, spoon the mixture into tall glasses. Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of the strawberry flavored water over the frozen juice in each glass. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information (per serving)CALORIES 99; PROTEIN 0.5g; CARB 25g; SUGAR 23g; FAT 0.3g; CHOL 0g;
SODIUM 2mg; FIBER 0.6g

Recipe is from The Town Dish

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Observation at Graduation

6/20/2014

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I recently attended my granddaughter's high school graduation. I am a consummate 'people watcher' and I thoroughly enjoy and embrace that fact.

Here are a few random thoughts that crossed my mind as I waited outside the venue and while seated inside. These thoughts are in no particular order of importance and you certainly do not have to agree with my observations.

1) Shoes are getting more bizarre and more beautiful every day. Since I absolutely love shoes and especially heels, my eyes always go straight to women's footwear. I saw more gorgeous shoes last Saturday than I have ever seen in one place. I wanted a pair of each but since I can no longer wear the extremely high heels, I just drooled slightly at each new pair I saw.

2)Speaking of shoes, the graduates have to meet a certain dress code, including their footwear. So, why is a female faculty person allowed to wear flip-flops with her gown? Perhaps she was pregnant (can't tell with a big gown on) or had surgery or some other reason, but I believe flats or sandals would have been appropriate...flip-flops? Not acceptable.

3)While the singing group performing the Star Spangled Banner did an awesome job with their rendition, there are some things which should remain the same; namely the Star-Spangled Banner.

4)I couldn't find a flag anywhere to 'look at' while listening to them sing. I finally spotted one small flag on a stand on the floor at the back of the stage. Really? This is a huge venue with the gargantuan 'screen' hanging from the center of the ceiling. Wasn't it possible to display an image of the American flag on that?

5)Graduation ceremony speeches have become much shorter. When my children graduated, I believe each speaker droned on for 45 minutes. The speakers last Saturday spoke for perhaps 10 minutes. I'm not complaining; I remember what they said much better than the ones who lost my interest after 10 minutes and then I have to start looking at shoes again.LOL

6)Tiny babies and toddlers should not be brought to graduation ceremonies if at all possible. They don't bother me at all, but I feel sorry for them. They can't move or make any noise; they are passed from one person to another in an effort to keep them entertained. Most of them are dressed up for the occasion, so they get hot and in general, look miserable.

One more observation and I know this one will be controversial, but here goes. No matter how gorgeous you are and even if you have legs and a 'figure to die for,' you should probably wear a skirt that is at least an inch or two longer than the bottom of your underwear. Just in case you have to sit down or bend over to pick something up.

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Are You In The Right Place?

6/12/2014

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We often ask ourselves that question, don't we? In various circumstances. I've asked it when I entered an unfamiliar store at the mall. I look at the displays and suddenly think I must have entered the wrong store. I check the signs inside and occasionally, even walk back out to look at the logo on the outside, just to make sure.

When I have had to visit the courthouse for paying taxes or filing some papers, I always check the sign outside the door to insure I am in the 'right place.' Sometimes, I am and sometimes I need direction to another office.

There have even been times while driving, (it pains me to admit this) when I was not in the right place. My granddaughter, Lynley, will never let me forget the trip we made to the Chicago area to visit my sister. I decided to take the scenic route instead of the direct route; you know, a little education thrown in for her and Kalisha. They got an education but not exactly what I had planned in my head. A wrong turn somewhere landed us smack dab in the middle of an industrial section of the city with somewhat questionable characters walking the streets. Lynley was only 8 years old and had a few questions: "Why do all the doors and windows have bars on them, Grandma?"

Her most frequently asked question was, "Are we lost?" I always answered, "No, Honey. I know exactly where we are, it's just not where I want to be."

Last week, Kalisha and I went shopping at Meijer's for a new pair of shorts for her to wear to work. As soon as I entered the store, my eyes caught the sign by the strawberries...5/$5. Such a deal; I couldn't resist. Of course, we picked up 1 or 2 more things, plus the shorts. Kalisha bagged while I checked out. We carried the few bags out, put them in the car and when we got home, I grabbed the bag of strawberries and put them in the garage refrigerator because I knew I was leaving town for a few days and wouldn't get to the jam-making until I returned. I was positive my strawberries were in the right place.

When Kalisha had to get ready for work, many days later, and finally had occasion to retrieve her new shorts from the bag, she came into my office carrying a box of strawberries (at least that's what I thought they used to be). "I'm so sorry, Mom. These were inside the bag with my shorts. I didn't know they were there."

This was the box she was carrying. Yummmmmm. I had a perplexed look on my face trying to remember how this happened. We combined a few bags when we walked out of Meijer's so they were easier to carry. She had put 4 boxes in one bag and when it was full, she put the fifth one on the bag with her shorts. When I got home, I put the entire bag (I thought all 5 boxes, but I didn't check) in the 'fridge in the garage and forgot about them for the immediate time. "I guess I didn't put them in the right place," Kalisha lamented. "I guess not," I laughed. "Now you can just put them in the trash."

Result: moldy compacted strawberries. Obviously, they are picked quite green because they did not smell (just a bit musty) there wasn't juice running out of the plastic container and they hadn't decomposed to a pile of mush. Those are all positives in this situation.

I was still thinking about the strawberries when I began thinking about us and how often we aren't in the right place in our lives. Not a physical place, but perhaps an emotional or spiritual place; or even an occupational place. If Kalisha had checked her 'shorts' bag, she would have discovered the berries. If I had checked the plastic bag I put in the refrigerator, I would have realized I was missing one container. When was the last time you really checked your 'place' in life? Are you where you should or need to be, spiritually? We don't know the answer to that until we check and sometimes our emotional or spiritual life has turned a bit moldy.

Fortunately, in God's world, we are salvageable; unlike the berries.

One more thing: I know God wanted me to write about this because I was wishing I had taken a picture of the moldy mess before the garbage was picked up. I thought perhaps there was still a chance.

"Kalisha, did you put the bag of berries in the trash can before or after it was picked up?"

"Trash? I didn't put them in the outside trash can."

"Really?" I asked hesitantly. "Where, exactly did you put them?"

"You just said to throw them away, so I put them in the bathroom wastebasket."

I was thrilled because now I could take a picture of them. (In my defense, our bathroom wastebasket has a flip-flop lid on it, so I didn't see them.)

Check your life. Are you where you want to be? Are you in the right place? Are you where God plans for you to be? Or are you getting a bit moldy?

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Montage Moments is a page of blog postings about a variety of subjects, thoughts and opinions..

8 Things To Know About Watermelon

Observation at Graduation

Are You In The Right Place?

Author: Gloria Doty

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