The Watermelon: Thirst Quencher, Vitamin Bomb, All-Rounder

It is well known that you should drink a lot and that you should probably drink even more in the summer. But hand on heart: who always only drinks mineral water? This is sensible, but tastes rather bland in the long run.

If you like variety, you don't have to resort to the sweetened stuff in the supermarket. Especially in summer, fresh fruits are available for maximum drinking fun. Including a real classic: the watermelon.

Pumpkin in a jar

The watermelon originally comes from Africa, has many varieties and belongs to the pumpkin family, but we serve it as “fruit”. It is extremely low in calories - just over 40 calories per serving (125 g) and, in addition to vitamins C, B6 and B1, it also contains iron, sodium, potassium, magnesium and many other valuable nutrients. That, and its water content of over 90%, makes watermelon an ideal thirst quencher in summer.

If you don't want to just snack on them, you can turn the sweet pumpkin into a tasty drink. The spectrum of recipes ranges from a quick-to-prepare watermelon drink, which is also great as a base for a gin cocktail or a melon-mint drink, to sophisticated own creations with other fruits such as strawberries or cocktails with or without alcohol.

And don't be afraid of the seeds. If you puree them, they can sometimes add a subtle bitter note to the drink, but they are extremely healthy. After all, we snack on pumpkin seeds too.

Jack Of All Trades In The Kitchen

Children also love watermelon and if you don't want a fruit salad, you can easily conjure up a healthy watermelon ice cream. To do this, simply make a puree from the pulp, pour it into molds (washed out yoghurt cups or large ice cube trays), insert an ice cream stick (or a drinking straw) and put it in the freezer for about one to two hours. Even adults enjoy this on hot summer days.

But the sweet pumpkin is also ideal in savory cuisine. In addition to the salad combinations with feta or other cheeses, which are now quite popular with us, some exotic recipe ideas are being introduced, such as “tender watermelon chicken”.

And the melon even looks good on the grill or in the smoker. There are no limits to your imagination when it comes to preparation, the only important thing is that, as with meat, you don't let the pieces burn. This makes the healthiest food inedible.

Knock, Lift, Look – You’re Spoiled For Choice

No matter what you do with this all-rounder, a good starting product is important for full enjoyment. But since it's very difficult to look inside a watermelon, there are a few tricks to avoid disappointment after shopping.

First of all, the most important thing: it's not about the beauty!

• Knock: Ripe watermelons sound fuller, richer, darker than unripe specimens. Some even say that a ripe melon sounds like it's singing when you knock it.
• A question of the stem: If the stem is dry, it means the fruit is ripe. If it is green, the melon was harvested too early and still unripe.
• Dark spots preferred: Where the melons lie on the ground while growing, they have a spot. On unripe fruits this spot glows white to light green; on ripe fruits it is yellowish to orange or even shows spots.
• It doesn't matter the size: the smaller ones are often much tastier. In any case, a ripe melon feels heavy 

More fruits related article is here.....