Watermelons
plus a recipe for a watermelon salad
It’s warm. Which means cold fruit and going to the pool every day season. So after a long day of work and what felt like an even longer commute, I came home and dropped Giovanni off with Joe and headed right back out to stock up on fruit—watermelon, blueberries, and grapes.
After I had paid for my produce I said to the teller, “I hope this watermelon is a good one.”
She rolled it around on the counter, examining it and made a face. She looked like she knew what she was talking about. Not because she looked any way but because she was so confident.
“Oh no,” I said, “what am I looking for?”
“You want a yellow spot and a whole bunch of these veins,” she said pointing to what looked like scars on my defective watermelon.
“OK, next time…” I said, sounding defeated.
“Go grab another one, leave your stuff hear,” she said.
I took my watermelon and walked back to the watermelon box and placed mine in and rolled several watermelons around looking for one that fit her description.
I walked back to the teller and showed her my new watermelon, looking for approval. “I think it’s still early in the season,” I said, “there aren’t a lot like you described.”
But she inspected it and nodded with approval.
I slung my canvas bag of groceries over one shoulder, my purse over the other shoulder, and held the watermelon against my belly as I walked to my car. In the parking lot I passed a pregnant lady whose round belly was pulling on her shirt and her belly button protruded. She was squinting, not wearing sunglasses and walking with effort and I thought of a conversation I’d had earlier this week with some girlfriends about being pregnant and feeling big and heavy and getting unwanted commentary from people—strangers and loved ones, alike.
“You are so beautiful,” I yelled in her direction.
“Oh my gosh, thank you so much, I saw you carrying that watermelon and thought I feel like I have a watermelon in me,” she said.
“You look amazing! How far along are you?”
“35 weeks,” she said.
“How lovely, you look great!”
“Aww I really need this,” she said, waving her hands in a circle from her to me. “I’m sad because I just found out the baby is breech” (meaning bottom down versus the ideal, head down position for a baby to be delivered).
“I had a friend who had that and she turned the baby. You’ve got this, mama, go in the pool and swim, the baby will flip,” I yelled across the parking lot. (I don’t know why we didn’t move closer to one another).
“I seriously needed this, you made my day,” she said.
“Congratulations! And wishing you a smooth and easy delivery,” I yelled and turned to my car.
Happy Friday, beautiful souls. I hope you had a lovely week and lovely long weekend. And as you go through life and encounter people, I hope you are kind. It’s amazing what a little bit of kindness can do.
In a world where you can be anything, be kind.
Watermelon salad
Like I mentioned earlier, it’s cold fruit season. And in warm weather I think we can all agree that light and juicy is where it’s at. This is a super simple salad, the tart of the feta pairs nicely with the sweet of the watermelon. And the basil adds a bit of complexity to the simple dish.
half a watermelon, peeled and cut in one inch cubes
1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese (I like the Greek feta from Trader Joe’s)
3-5 leaves of basil, torn into little pieces, + extra for garnish
olive oil, optional
salt and pepper to taste, optional
You can prepare this in a big bowl for serving or in individual dishes if you want. I personally like the latter because I like to see the cheese on top.
In a medium sized mixing bowl add all the ingredients and toss well. I add the olive oil and salt and pepper if I’m serving this salad alongside a dinner but it it’s just to quench my thirst or take the edge off the hunger, I prefer it without.
Place in individual serving bowls and garnish with basil.
Enjoy!
