Watermelon Five Ways

When life gives you lemons, I'm told you're supposed to make lemonade. But what about when life (via the farmer's market) delivers a boatload of watermelon?

Well, I started with watermelonade. After a minute in the blender the watermelon and crushed ice (via hammer) made for a refreshing summer drink. It's no lemonade, but what is?

Given that watermelon is 92 percent water, it's a natural as a drink. My one concern, the seeds, were easy to avoid because they settled at the bottom.

Taking things into smoothie territory, I added some banana and yogurt. I'd recommend the former, but not the latter. Maybe add a little orange juice for extra flavor, but you don't want to overpower the watermelon.

Next, I tried cut-up watermelon in my morning Grapenuts. I'm not sure what happened, but my stomach felt like I'd consumed Pop Rocks and Pepsi. As in this video--notice the Pop Rocks flavor!--the combination didn't kill me. But it sure didn't feel good.

Afternoon snack meant cut watermelon with banana slices. It sounds plain, but it doesn't really need anything else. I imagine grapes would work well here, too.

Finally, I tried watermelon in my salad, piggy-backing on Crook's Corner chef Bill Smith's idea (as seen on the cover of Southern Living's July issue). I didn't make his tomato-and-watermelon salad. Instead, I added watermelon to a salad with tomato, lettuce, cucumbers, red onion and Gorgonzola. The watermelon meshed with all parties, playing the role I usually reserve for a Granny Smith.

These ideas provided a nice change of pace. But after eating melon morning, noon and night, I'd say its best use is a familiar one: a big slice right after dinner, preferably eaten outside in the summer heat and washed down with a tall glass of lemonade.