When I was younger, my father let my brother and I each pick a plant to grow and tend to in the garden. Every year, we’d pick out the seeds, and then it was our responsibility to keep the chosen plant alive and fruitful. One year, I decided to grow watermelon. At first my father said no way. Never having grown watermelon himself, he wasn’t sure how well it would do in Southern Ohio, and was afraid I was setting myself up for an impossible feat. Instead, we settled on “baby” watermelon. They don’t grow as large as the regular variety, and are more round than oblong, but sure enough, with time and effort, our garden yielded watermelon, and I learned it’s easier to grow than one would think, provided you have the space.

Since then, watermelon has remained one of my favorite summer treats. On top of being delicious, sweet and cool on a hot summer day, watermelon is an excellent source of Vitamin C, and also contains beta carotene and lycopene.

Bonus: the rind actually contains more nutrients than the red inside, and is totally edible. According to Wikipedia, in China, they are stir-fried, stewed or  pickled. When stir-fried, the de-skinned and de-fruited rind is cooked with olive oil, garlic, chili peppers, scallions, sugar and rum.

I prefer a simpler watermelon dish — in fact, it’s one of the easiest dishes I’ve ever made, but is delicious and perfect for summer.

Ingredients:

1 cup watermelon
1/4 cup feta
Handful of fresh mint leaves

Directions:

1. Combine

2. Enjoy!

The above suggestion feeds one, but can be easily modified for a larger group, and makes for a great BBQ snack or party favor. And, as always, try to use local ingredients. Most farmers’ markets offer fresh and locally-grown herbs, and many have cheeses from local dairies. If feta is not available, feel free to substitute another local cheese with a similar consistency. Or, you can easily make this vegan by omitting the cheese and adding in a few dashes of salt.