We have been on a watermelon kick here lately and so I just had to make some Fresh Watermelon Lemonade to quench our thirst in this heat. Y'all this stuff is so good.
The watermelon is undoubtedly the most favorite of the
summer melons. There are four main
varieties of watermelon: all sweet, ice-box, seedless, and yellow flesh. Watermelons vary in taste and color depending
on the variety, the soil and the climate they're grown in. The outside of a watermelon can vary from light to very dark green. It
can be solid to mottled green or striped. The inside flesh can be dark red to
bright red to reddish pink, with many variations, including melons with yellow
flesh. Most watermelons have seeds but there are also seedless varieties. Some
think that seeds are part of the fun of eating a watermelon while others prefer
seedless varieties which are easier to eat. They
also require less prep time when using them in a fruit salad or other recipes.
Choosing a watermelon at the peak of perfection requires some skill. I will be the first to admit, I don't always remember how to pick a ripe one. First, look for one that's firm and free of bruises. A ripe watermelon will feel heavy for its size. Melons are 90% water so the ones that seem heavy for the size are going to be the juiciest watermelons. When a watermelon is ripe, the spot where it laid on the ground while growing will be a creamy yellow color rather than white or pale green. Thumping a ripe watermelon with your finger will produce a rather dull, hollow tone. Thumping an un-ripened melon will create a clear tinging sound. Though watermelons must be chilled before eating for that mouth-watering refreshing taste, if you're short on refrigerator space, whole melons will keep at room temperature for about 7 to 10 days. (I have the smallest refrigerator on the planet) After the watermelon is cut, store it in the refrigerator. They are not freezer friendly because they become mushy and lose their flavor. They are full of vitamin C and they're also a good source of vitamin A, potassium and fiber. Also, they contain high amounts of lycopene, a substance that can prevent heart diseases and some cancers, and that is something we could all be happy about.
So to make this Fresh Watermelon Lemonade I went with my trusty Lemonade recipe as a base and added the watermelon. Cube up the watermelon and pulse it in a blender until smooth. (of course you want to use the seedless watermelon) Then, pour it through a fine mesh strainer to remove any stray seeds or thick pulp. Pour into the lemonade and stir. I did find that the watermelon will separate from the lemonade as it sits. Just stir it up and its good to go. Trust me y'all, this will quench your thirst on a hot summer day!
Watermelon Lemonade
8 cups watermelon, cubed
1 cup sugar
1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
1 cup lemon juice
3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)
Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely. Set aside to cool. While the simple syrup is cooling, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice. Add the juice and the simple syrup to a pitcher. Place the cubed watermelon in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove any seeds or thick pulp. Stir into the pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes.
More Lemonade Recipes to love:
Blackberries are my favorite berries. Growing up at my parent's house we had a blackberry bush that was on the side of our house. I used to love to go over and pick the berries and eat them in the summer. We used to ride our bikes all the time around the house. This blackberry bush was right on the corner of the house. I cannot tell you how many times I wrecked my bike in that blackberry bush. That was not fun at all. When my sisters and I talk about that blackberry bush it is always about how we used to get tangled up in it on our bikes. My parents decided to get rid of the bush years ago but I will never forget the memories of all those summers growing up and the blackberries. Maybe that is why I like those little berries so much.
When I first saw this combination I was a little intrigued about how it would taste. I knew I had to try it. I have fresh basil in my garden and love it. I look for any reason to use it. The basil gives this a different flavor but it really does work well together. If you are looking for something a little different, give this one a try.
Watermelon Salad with Blackberries and Basil
3 cups watermelon cubed
1 container blackberries (About 1 1/4 cups)
10 basil leaves chopped fine
Juice of one lime
Zest of one lime
1 T honey
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Let sit at least 30 minutes in the fridge
before eating.
This recipe was shared in a recent issue of
Chesapeake Style Magazine
Making my own popsicles bring back memories of my childhood. When we were kids we would fill ice trays up with kool-aid and have our own little popsicles. They were such a treat for us back then. Both of my kids have been cursed by some kind of allergy to a food, their bodies purge the offender and then they will break out in hives. When our son started with this problem we had him tested. They could not figure out what he was allergic to. We were told it was a preservative or an additive and only trial and error would figure it out. We never really figured his out, thankfully he has pretty much outgrown his. His doctor told us he hopefully would do that. When our daughter started showing the same symptoms as he did it did not take us long to figure out what was wrong. The only thing we could figure out is that maybe it is red foods. We had her tested for red dye and other foods and again no answers. So here we are with her trying to figure that out. We know that ketchup and pepperonis cause her issues. We have been told to change up brands to decipher what it could be. She is not too willing to try these red foods just yet. If you pay attention to most candy, kids drinks, and popsicles you will notice a lot are red. She stays away from these foods. I guess we drilled it in her head for so long she is scared to try them. Her doctor says she may never want to try these foods and that is OK. Hopefully when she is ready she too will have outgrown it. I try to make some fun foods for her that I know she can eat that are red. This
watermelon lemonade being one of them. So I took this a step further and made her popsicles with it. The verdict, she loves them.
Watermelon Lemonade Popsicles
Watermelon Lemonade (
recipe here)
small cups
popsicle sticks
Pour the
watermelon lemonade into the cups and place in a glass baking dish and place in the freezer. Check these in about 30 to an hour, once they are a little frozen add your popsicle stick in the center and continue to freeze until hard. When ready, pull out of the freezer, run warm water around the cup until it releases and enjoy.
My sister and I saw this in a cookbook while we were in line for hours waiting to meet Pioneer Woman. My sister had told me that week she was going to be in Virginia Beach. Virginia Beach is only a couple hours away from us and I knew I had to find a way to go. I didn't know if I would ever get that opportunity again. We set out that morning on our adventure, armed with the GPS and my two cookbooks. We had to stop on the way to find one for my sister because we knew they would be way more expensive at the book signing. We were lucky to find one all by itself at Walmart on the way. We were set, we had no idea what we were getting into. Neither one of us had ever been to a book signing. That is what made it so fun. We found out that tickets were given out the night before and only those people were guaranteed to meet Ree. We waited for hours barely moving, waiting with anticipation, we did not have a ticket. It was so neat to see her even from a distance I could tell she was such a sweetheart. It is a good thing the aisle we were waiting on was not the cookbook aisle. I think I would have gotten myself into trouble. We kept meaning to stop on the way down to grab some lunch but it never seemed to work out of where to stop. As I said, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. After waiting for a while, we decided to check out the little coffee shop in the bookstore to see if they had anything to eat. I kept our spot while my sister went and looked. Luckily they had a couple different sandwiches to choose from. So she ordered us a couple. It was a ham and cheese but the cheese neither one of us had tried so we got them without the cheese. The guy at the counter felt so bad when she went back to pick it up because it had 2 little pieces of ham on it and we had paid so much for them. He told her, mam I think I need to give you some money back. She told him, we drove a long way and we are waiting in line and we are hungry and we didn't have time to stop on the way. While waiting in line a little later, he came and found my sister and said he still felt bad for charging us so much for this sandwich, could he give us a drink or something. We said no we are ok and he insisted to give us something. So we asked for a mocha coffee and he said done I will be right back. Wouldn't you know it, he came back with two mocha's for free. Everyone in line were like, wow how did that happen? We just got it like that! LOL Gotta love my sis, you just never know what you may get into.
On one of the last few aisles we managed to get into the cookbook aisle. I picked up a few and glanced at them. By then my feet were aching some kind of bad so I just wanted to get it over with and didn't really get into the recipes. I guess that was a blessing, like I said it would have been trouble. This recipe was in a Gooseberry Patch cook book, I have no idea which one, but it looked yummy so I snapped a picture so I would have it. I am just now getting around to making it. My daughter loves it. We try to keep her away from red foods as she is allergic to some additive or preservative and the only way we can figure it out is by trial and error. She is scared to eat red foods. So this gives her something red to eat that I know she will be ok with.
I loved meeting Ree and I could have talked with her all day. I told her I also blog and she said "isn't it fun?" Yes it is!
Watermelon Lemonade
4 Cups Watermelon chopped
1 Cup sugar
1 1/2 cup lemon juice
6 Cups of cold water
lemon slices, optional
Place watermelon in blender and process until smooth, set aside. In a large pitcher combine sugar and lemon juice and stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in water, add watermelon and mix well. Serve very cold, stir well before serving. Makes 8-10 servings *I added lemon slices
Shared at:
Weekend Potluck @ The Country Cook
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