Latrell’s Watermelon Lemonade It’s Watermelon Season!

Corey Rogers IMPACTING LIVES THROUGH HISTORY

Live your best life! That is my motto. My name is Menia L. Chester, I am a chef and owner of Desserts by Latrell and Southern Jazz and Sweets. My goal is to teach you about food, finance, anything about the home, gardening, and healthy living.

Eating healthy in the summer can be easy because there is an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Knowing how to select tasty produce is a learned art. Some of them are easy because you can see and smell the ripeness of them. However, selecting a sweet watermelon is different. Some people thump them, shake them and they look at the blossom end for signs of ripeness. These methods are good but here are some other ones to try.

Find the yellow belly, or the field spot

This is the spot on a melon that shows where it was laying on the ground while attached to the vine. If the watermelon is ripe, you should see yellow patch on one side of the melon. The bigger the yellow spot and the creamier the color means the more time the melon spent ripening on the vine. However, if the spot is smaller or looks more white than yellow, then the melon may not be quite ripe.

Tap the underbelly and listen for a deep sound

Another way to find a ripe watermelon is to lightly tap the outside of the melon. A ripe melon will have a deeper sound, as opposed to an overripe one that will have a more hollow or flat sound. A duller, more hollow sound can mean the flesh is starting to go soft and it may be spoiled.

A watermelon is almost 92% water, this is what makes them so juicy. A heavier melon likely holds more water, which will make it juicier.

Try this twist on lemonade using watermelon.