An Experts Guide to Enjoying Watermelon- perfect for entertaining and on-the-go snacking!

Watermelon is one of my very favorite fruits and I'm so excited to share everything you need to know about enjoying Watermelon this summer!

Thank you National Watermelon Promotion Board for sponsoring this post. Watermelon is the perfect portable food for enjoying wherever life takes you!

You guys wanna know a fun fact about me. When I was around 10 years old, I won a watermelon eating contest! That's right. Teeny, little 10-year-old-me took down an entire varsity football team and a 42 year old man in one delicious sitting. I was in the 10-and-over group and my sister totally won for the 10-and-under group!

The contest involved each of us eating a ¼ of a large watermelon and finishing first. I immediately knew I had to enter. I mean, we were (and still are!) obsessed with watermelon in my family. It's one of those foods that will be in a bowl in the fridge and all day long we'll all be sneaking back to grab another piece until the bowl is empty! I'd been training for that moment all my entire life.

Needless to say, that's the only trophy I held onto for years and years. Such pride! And even after the contest, I still could not get enough watermelon. It was a mainstay at family picnics, my favorite way to cool down between quarters in our house league soccer games and a great snack to bring out to stay hydrated on-the-go.

So when the opportunity was available to team up with the National Watermelon Board, I jumped at the chance. I mean, who doesn't want to share their love for the foods they love the most? Especially since we're right in the midst of prime watermelon season!

Benefits of Watermelon

• Watermelon is a perfect ingredient for on-the-go meals and snacks! It's also a delicious option for easy summer entertaining.
• It brings excellent value- you can't beat $.17 per serving (as per the 2017 Watermelon Purchase Survey).
• You don't have to worry about waste because the entire watermelon is edible: flesh, juice AND rind (pickle it!). Use the whole watermelon!
• In addition to being healthy, it's a wonderful way to hydrate in the hotter months.

How to pick a good Watermelon

• Look for a buttery yellow spot on the rind. This is called a field spot and shows the part of the melon that sat on the ground in the field. If it's white or green it's not ripe. Go for the gold!
• When you pick it up, it should be heavy for it's size.
• The brown webbing on the melon will tell you how many times the bees touched the flower- the more pollination, the sweeter the watermelon!
• Male melons are tall and elongated- they're a bit more watery. Female melons are rounder and stout- they tend to be sweeter.
• In terms of size, you don't want it too be too big or two small- average size watermelons are just right.
• Look for a dried out tail to indicate a ripe watermelon- a green tail indicates that it's been picked too soon.

How to cut Watermelon- my two favorite methods

• Triangles- cut the melon in half, length-wise and the cut each half length-wise so that you have 4 quarters. Slice each quarter into triangular slices and serve.
• Chunks- Slice off each end of the melon and stand it up on one of the flat ends. Use your knife the "shave off" the rind cutting downward and away from your body. Once all the rind is off, cut the meat into bite-size chunks and serve.

6 delicious ways to upgrade your Watermelon

1. Greek- Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with chopped fresh Oregano, kosher salt, feta cheese, sliced cucumber, thinly sliced red onion.
2. Prosciutto- Add chopped slices of prosciutto, chopped walnuts, crumbly blue cheese and a light drizzle of honey.
3. Mojito- Squeeze on some line juice and sprinkle with turbinado sugar, lime zest and chopped fresh mint.
4. Chili Lime- Squeeze on some lime juice and sprinkle with chili powder, kosher salt, chopped fresh cilantro and some slices of jalapeno or serrano pepper.
5. Spicy Asian- Drizzle with sriracha and sprinkle with dried ground ginger, ground turmeric, kosher salt, torn fresh cilantro and chopped peanuts.
6. Caprese- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze and top with fresh mozzarella pearls (or chopped fresh mozzarella), and a chiffonade of fresh basil.

If you tried these recipes please comment and rate it 🙂 I love hearing your feedback and answering your questions!

Love watermelon? Make sure to enter your original watermelon recipe into Watermelon Board’s recipe contest: Enter here!

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.