In and Around the Garden

I didn’t plant a vegetable garden this year because the nearby trees have squeezed out the sun’s rays. Vegetable plants need at least six hours of full sunlight. It is not an easy decision to leave raised beds bare. So much work went into the boxed construction, soil prep, and waterline installation.

However, a couple of volunteer watermelon vines popped up in the westerly edge of one bed. Here the foliage captured enough sun for photosynthesis. Excited about the prospect, I watered the vines with great expectations. I weeded the soil with care. I watched with eagle eyes for voles. Then come harvest, I ate a feast of round, pink pulp so sweet it was like kissing pure sugar. Delicious!

But watermelons are not limited to mouth-watering bites fresh off the vine. There are many uses for this juicy treat, some of which include watermelon:

• Seed tea to cleanse your kidneys
• Roasted and salted seeds
• Seed spiting contests
• Mosaic seed art
• Anti-aging rind
• Smoothies
• Alcoholic beverages
• Soda
• Punch
• Pureed soup
• Jelly
• Frozen fruit pops
• Pickled rinds
• Ice cubes
• Hollowed-out canteens or salad bowls
• Centerpieces
• Carvings
• Face pack for soft, supple skin or for sunburns and suntans
• Grated watermelon facial scrub

If you can believe it, there are even more uses for watermelons. But only a cowboy would utilize a watermelon for a hat rack!

What did you do with your watermelons this year besides eat them?

Have a fun, safe Labor Day weekend!

Posted from the library!