The wonder of watermelon

Most of my childhood summers were spent on my grandfather's farm. Time seemed slow, but we stayed busy.

No one slept in or stayed up late because there were always chores to be done during daylight. But it was never too busy to talk to a neighbor who stopped by, or to head down the road to help a friend in need.

Pageland, S.C., was the place where I learned to embrace country life.

My Pawpaw taught me things, like how to plant a seed, how to string and pop a green bean and how to shuck corn.

Most of all, he taught me how to preserve the garden's bounty and to savor life, as well as food. He raised pigs, chickens and turkeys, but watermelons were the star of the garden.

My favorite times were when we would be in the watermelon patch and he would say, "Let's test one of these melons and see if they're ready!"

Being a tall and burley man with large rouged hands, Pawpaw would reach down into his overalls, pull out his pocket knife, cut a melon off the stem, hold it high above his head and let it drop to the ground. When the melon hit the ground, it would crack. He then would spread it wide open with his fingers, and with one sweep of his hand, he scooped the seeds out and would break off a chunk for us to eat.

I can't remember one of his watermelons not being sweet and juicy. Sometimes, Pawpaw would say about a watermelon, "I think this one is a tad too sweet; it needs some salt!" And sure enough, he would reach way down into his pocket and pull out a salt shaker. He used the salt shaker for testing the tomatoes as well.

I guess I learned about sweet and savory tastes from him. To this day, I prefer a little salt on my watermelon, and salt and pepper on cantaloupe. That's why I love it when I see watermelons start to pop up in the grocery stores and farmers markets. When they do, I always remember my grandfather and the times I spent on his farm.

Without having to use a salt shaker, I discovered a recipe a couple of years ago that uses watermelon cubes with feta cheese. One taste of the savory dish and memories wash over me. It has old-fashioned flavor, but with big-city pizzazz.

SAVORY WATERMELON SALAD

Yield: Six servings

1 ripe watermelon (8 to 10 pounds), flesh cut into 1- and 1/2-inch chunks, seeds removed

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure

In a large bowl, combine watermelon, feta cheese and chopped red onion. Drizzle oil and sherry vinegar over mixture and add the mint leaves. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, if needed.

WATERMELON AND SHRIMP PICO DE GALLO

Yield: Six to eight servings

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon minced, seeded jalapeño

3 tablespoon minced fresh shallots

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Juice from 3 fresh limes

2 cups minced watermelon

2 cups chopped cooked, cooled, peeled and deveined shrimp

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup diced roasted red pepper

Ground black pepper, to taste

Procedure

Heat the oil in a heavy, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the jalapeño, shallots and garlic until golden and toasted around the edges. Remove from heat and add soy sauce and cumin. Cool. Scrape the cooled ingredients into a bowl and toss with lime juice, watermelon, shrimp, parsley and roasted pepper. Season with pepper, to taste. Serve with chips and margaritas, fish tacos or atop grilled salmon.

THAI WATERMELON SALAD

Yield: Eight servings

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1/2 cup orange juice

1/8 cup toasted sesame oil

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoons light soy sauce

4 ounces organic baby greens

3 cups cooked al dente and cooled brown rice

6 cups diced seedless watermelon

1 cup chopped scallions

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 cup dry roasted and salted peanuts

Freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Procedure

Whisk together the ginger, garlic, vinegar, juice, oils and soy sauce. Arrange the greens on a serving platter or up to eight individual serving plates. Toss the rice with 2/3 of the dressing. Press each serving of the rice mixture into a small cup and invert onto the plate, creating an individual serving of rice. Place on the greens.

Toss the watermelon with the remaining dressing and spoon the watermelon over the rice and greens. Sprinkle the scallions, cilantro and peanuts over the watermelon. Garnish with freshly cracked pepper, to taste. If desired, add grilled chicken, salmon or shrimp for an entrée salad.