"melon" news and stories

Melon agua fresca. Photo: Smitten Kitchen.

There is perhaps nothing more refreshing on a hot day than a fruity drink. Sure, ice cream, Popsicles and beer all have their place in the chill summer pantheon, but the combination of something already so summery (fruit) with nature's most refreshing resource (water) is pure heaven when the thermometer is pushing 90 or 100 degrees. And no one does fruity drinks better than Mexicans (margarita, anyone?).

Shown above are gloriously green and outrageously orange aguas frescas, which translates loosely to "fresh waters." These are typically blended with fruits, cereals or seeds and, of course, sugar. These colorful concoctions from Deb at Smitten Kitchen are made with cantaloupe and honeydew melon, lime juice, sugar, salt, water and seltzer.

The twist of lime on each glass serves as a reminder that though these drinks don't contain any alcohol, they're still suitable to serve to grown-ups at fiestas.

[Via Smitten Kitchen]

The pepquiños are coming, the pepquiños are coming.

Hot off the news that it's now tiny melon season in Britain, the producers of what may just be the world's only bite-sized melon -- the pepquiño -- say they're growing these grape-size fruits on New York's Long Island.

"It's already in America, but very, very small," Nicolas Mazard, the U.S. manager of Koppert Cress, told Slashfood Thursday. "So it will be ready this summer."

Learn how to eat these 3/4-inch fruits after the jump.

By this time of the year, markets and grocery stores are overflowing with a gorgeous array of melons. There are a few ways to know when your melon is ripe. They involve understanding that there are two classes of melon: the muskmelons and the watermelons.

In Japan, the "flavor of the month" isn't barbecue, or citrus, or licorice, it's...citrulline.

Sound strange? It's an amino acid found in large amounts in watermelon, and it's being touted as a performance enhancer to the Olympic athletes in Beijing, China. It widens blood vessels, allowing for improved circulation, as well as increasing levels of nitric oxide, as well as breaking down lactic acid, (which, as our readers have gently reminded me, is not the scary substance we once thought it to be).

L-Citrulline has long been available in supplement form, but the Japanese are seeing how far they can market it, putting it into sports drinks, sports bars and even gum.

But mainly, it's just another excuse to eat a huge, juicy slice of watermelon.

via [inventorspot]

Source

Okay - one more grilled bevvy before the sandwich drink I'd teased earlier (seriously -- it's worth the wait). Like so many of my mixology experiments, it was inspired by some fresh produce I had on hand. There was an untouched honeydew melon left over from a bridal shower I'd hosted the weekend before (luckily, they keep well), and I happened to be grilling/smoking a beer can chicken anyhow. It all just came together organically, and the grill's flames added a pleasing touch of caramelized sweetness. I've a feeling I'll be chilling with this fizzy, fruity cooler all summer long.


Grilled Honeydew Sorbet Sparkler


1 honeydew melon
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tbsp fresh lime juice (approx 2 limes)
2 tbsp vodka
Club soda, prosecco or cava
Lime rind


Split a honeydew melon in half, remove pulp and seeds, and grill face-down on the top rack until insides are softened and the surface is caramelized. Scoop out insides and chill in a bowl in the refrigerator.


Once chilled, use a food processor or immersion blender to combine the sugar, lime juice and vodka into the melon, and liquefy. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and prepare according to the manufacturer's instructions. Then transfer the sorbet into an airtight container and chill into the freezer until uniformly hardened.


Fill a goblet with several scoops of sorbet, and top with club soda, prosecco or cava. Garnish with lime rind twist and serve immediately.


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