WATERMELON!

National Watermelon Day is on August 3rd and at this very moment, I’m still deliberating if it’s a day that should be celebrated. And I’ll tell you why: because I have a love/hate relationship with watermelon. Not because I’m flaky mind you, but because watermelon can be so unpredictable! Sometimes I think it’s the best fruit ever created- it’s sweet and crisp and just the right texture with almost no seeds. But sometimes it's a furry mush that is missing any sign of sweetness and really belongs in the garbage, not on my table.

And the most frustrating part of this is that you really don’t know what’s inside, until you lug the heavy fruit all the way home and make a mess in the kitchen while you try to maneuver it in a way that you can actually cut it open without destroying the place. And only after you go through all that hassle, do you finally discover what it is that you paid for. And quite often it’s a disappointment. Not to mention all the rearranging we need to do so that we can fit all the pieces in the refrigerator! Sometimes the taste is so bad but the fruit is so big and how can I just dump the whole thing in the garbage? So I store it in the fridge until it’s starts getting moldy and then I don’t feel as bad about throwing it away. Sad but true story.

Recently my husband took the time to learn how to look for the signs of a good tasting watermelon. The first week he did swimmingly. Aside for the quarter that was a little overripe, the rules seemed to be promising! The second week? Eh. Good texture but not a great taste. So now I’m not so sure that there’s a reliable equation we can rely on. Hey- I know you want to tell me that I’m too demanding - but keep in mind that I’m not asking for my watermelon to taste like a caramel ice cream sundae (though that would be nice) - I’m simply asking for a watermelon to taste like watermelon!

Anyways, did you know that watermelon is 92% water? So it got me thinking that maybe I should just have a glass of water instead of going through the trouble and disappointment of watermelon shopping. Just saying…

Let’s hope National Watermelon Day is a happy one!