Now that watermelons are at their peak, it's not hard to find chins and fingers sticky and striped with sweet, red juice
By Deborah Garrison Lowery - photography by Preston Crosby
When my husband was growing up in South Georgia, he loved helping his farmer uncle load watermelons onto a truck to take to market. He once confessed to me, with a sheepish grin, that the best part of this job was when a big, fat watermelon would "accidentally" fall off the truck and burst. Then my husband and his cousin would eagerly eat out the juicy red melon heart and toss the rest of it back in the field, knowing all the while that Uncle Bernice was turning a blind eye to the antics to allow the boys a treat.
And a treat it is to dig into a drippy, juicy watermelon this time of year, whether it's yellow or red-fleshed, seedless, or traditionally speckled with black seeds ideal for spitting contests. Thanks to the prolific Florida watermelon crop, our Gulf Coast region has no shortage of this sweet, summertime refresher, which many agree is best scooped right from the shell. Even better, it doesn't go bad quickly like many types of summer produce. An uncut watermelon stored at 50 to 60 degrees will keep 3 weeks or longer.
ADVERTISEMENT
