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By Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD

Although we rarely seem to get much beyond slicing and enjoying it, watermelon is a “total utilization” fruit. We can use the interior, the juice, the seeds, and the rind! If you are in “cut up and enjoy” mode, use watermelon as an accompaniment to summer meals; it’s great with sweet items (cereal, vegan yogurt, baked goods) or savory (grilled veggie dogs or burgers, pasta salad). If you want to get melon-creative, cut watermelon into stick shapes and freeze; you’ll have your own watermelon-sicles which can be eaten as a snack, used instead of ice cubes, or tossed into the blender with other smoothie ingredients (watermelon daiquiris, anyone?). If simple desserts work for you, thinly slice watermelon, sprinkle with rose- or orange-blossom water and served chilled. Mango chunks or slices can be alternated with sliced watermelon for a colorful dessert. If fresh mango is not available, frozen mango will work well.

If you’d like to go savory, with your watermelon, you can use watermelon cubes to “tame the heat” in curries and chilies, in veggies salad with onions and garlic, and in stir-fries or sautés (add small watermelon cubes at the last minute, or use as a garnish). Try a “watermelon steak” (a thick slice of watermelon, rind removed) topped with slices of ripe avocado and shredded jicama, chopped parsley, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.  If you would like to get adventurous, do some research for a watermelon or watermelon rind curry recipe, popular in Caribbean and South Asian cuisine.

When slicing watermelon, be certain to capture the juice to use in salads, smoothies, or cold beverages. If you have extra watermelon, blend it to create watermelon juice, refreshing on its own or when combined with other fruit or veggie juices (carrot, cucumber, spinach, etc.).

If your watermelon comes with seeds, save them! Use only the mature, black seeds, and discard the white, small seeds. Collect the seeds, place them in a colander or strain and rinse very, very well, until they are squeaky clean. Spread the cleaned seeds on a baking sheet and allow to dry in a sunny area, or in a low oven. You can skip this step and pat the seeds dry, but very dry seeds roast best. Preheat a large frying pan and add seeds, stirring and turning until they are roasted (you’ll want to taste one to see if the desired texture has been reached). When seeds are roasted, mix together a small amount of salt with water, pour over the seeds, and allow the water to dissolve while stirring. Store your new salty snack in an air-tight container.

Pickled watermelon rind takes a bit of time to prepare, but is really worth the effort! The Watermelon Council, watermelon.org, has step-by-step instructions. Pickled watermelon rind is a versatile condiment, so tasty that it’s hard to refrain from just eating it right out of the jar!