The subject of poems & songs. What you sing in church if you don’t know the words. The focus of jubilees & festivals (in Stockdale,Hempstead, & McDade, to name a few). The Thump in Luling….Ahhhhhhh, watermelon. Few things signify summer more than ice cold watermelon. (& I, for one, am glad summer has officially arrived. I’m tired of these over 100° ‘Spring’ days. It’s time to cool off with a 97° Summer day!) Mark Twain quipped that watermelon is “king by the grace of God over all the fruits of the earth. When one has tasted it, he knows what the angels eat. It was not a Southern watermelon that Eve took; we know it because she repented.”
Because watermelons are 92% water, early explorers used them as canteens. They are also high in Vitamins A, B6, & C. A 2-cup serving has more lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable and about 10% of your daily requirement of potassium…a much needed mineral to prevent muscle cramps. All of these factors make watermelon a very refreshing & healthy snack on these sweltering summer days. Darren prefers his watermelon the old-fashioned way…ice cold, in hand. I, however, take a more civilized approach…I prefer mine juiced. To juice a watermelon, just cut it up & put the red ‘meat’ in the food processor (seeds too). Puree, then strain through a fine-meshed sieve…voila! watermelon juice! Since we are a house divided, our watermelon must also be divided. I usually cut half of it up for Darren & juice the other half for me, keeping it in a pitcher in the fridge.
What does one do with all of that watermelon juice, you might ask? Well, I’ll tell you…I drink it…in any one of 5 delicious adult beverages that I so enjoy. Probably my favorite one is the Lady Bug. No, I think it’s the Watermelon Cooler. Welllllll, the Watermelon Martini is also pretty stinkin’ good. It’s the Watermelon Margarita, definitely. I got it! The Watermelon Mojito…two great refreshments in one!
Below you will find the recipes for the Lady Bug & the Watermelon Martini. Click the links above on the recipe names to find the others. A couple of them call for sour mix. I have found that homemade is best…as usual (& also very easy)! So enjoy my recipe for that too!
For more watermelon fun facts, recipes, & information, click here! or here!
Lady Bug (Pictured top left)
Servings/Yield: 1 servings
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce sour mix
4 ounces watermelon juice
Method
Stir all ingredients together. Serve very cold.
Watermelon Martini (Pictured top right)
Servings/Yield: 1 servings
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce sour apple schnapps
1 ounce watermelon juice
Method
Put all ingredients in a shaker; shake well. Pour in a martini glass; enjoy.
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“The schweet life: the ramblings of a homeschool mom” is a blog by Karen Carter. Karen lives in Central Texas with her husband, Darren, & teenage son (She will refer to him as Son since he doesn’t want her to use his name). In another life she was a public school teacher. Karen taught high school Physics, Chemistry, & Math for many years before she and her husband decided to homeschool their son (best decision they believe they ever made!) In addition to teaching their son, Karen also tutors other students, some homeschoolers & some not, mostly with science & math. Since y have a complete high school science lab at our house & an extensive, mostly classical, library that includes works by Hitler & Marx, Karen has often joked that their family must be on the Homeland Security watch list!
When their son was younger, he kept breaking out in hives at the most random times. The doctor could not figure out why & finally concluded it must be a preservative or other additive used in foods. Karen decided she would have to try to eliminate as much pre-prepared food from their diet as possible. She has always enjoyed cooking, but this decision began a new chapter for her family. She now makes most of what they eat from scratch. The Carters try to eat as much fresh food as possible, growing what they can (they live in town, so space is limited)…lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, & occasionally meat (hormone & antibiotic free).
