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ISSUE 79 - July 2024

Extending Knowledge Changing Lives

Growing Together:

Food, Family and Friends


This month we explore watermelon, provide more gardening activities, and make a smoothie with a summertime favorite.

Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., R.D., L.R.D., Food and Nutrition Specialist

Kim Bushaw, M.S., Family Science Specialist

EAT

The refreshing flavor of ripe, juicy watermelon pairs perfectly with hot summer days. Watermelon has a history dating back thousands of years. Today, more than 100 varieties of watermelon are available throughout the world. The flesh varies from the familiar red or pink color to orange or yellow. Most have black or dark brown seeds, but seedless varieties have some white seeds.


Watermelons should be picked at peak ripeness, when their underbelly is yellow or cream-colored. At the grocery store, choose watermelons that are heavy in relation to their size, with a hard rind and no visible bruises or other damage.


Watermelon is a portable dessert. Whole watermelons can be stored at room temperature. You can rinse and scrub the outside of the watermelon with a produce brush and then cut into slices or wedges. You can scoop the flesh into balls with the aid of a melon baller tool. Make flavor-infused water with the addition of watermelon balls or chunks.


Avoid cross-contamination. After rinsing and washing the melon, be sure to use a clean knife and cutting board to prepare it. Keep melon away from raw meat or juices. Cantaloupe and watermelon contaminated during preparation have been linked to foodborne illness outbreaks.


After you cut a watermelon, treat it as a perishable food. Wrap the leftover melon with plastic wrap or place it in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator and use within three days.


Here’s a quick, hydrating recipe that kids can help create with seasonal fruit.

Watermelon Smoothie


1 (8-ounce) container lemon-flavored fat-free yogurt

3 cups cubed, seeded watermelon

1 pint fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled*

1 tablespoon honey or strawberry jam

3 ice cubes

*Note: You can use frozen strawberries without thawing.

In a blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients. Process until smooth and frothy. Serve in tall glasses with a straw.


Makes four servings. Each serving has 130 calories, 0 grams (g) of fat, 3 g of protein, 35 g of carbohydrate, 2 g of fiber and 40 milligrams of sodium.

Connect


Summertime provides opportunities to relax and enjoy some fun with friends, family and neighbors. Host a real garden party. Ask guests to bring a plant cutting, some early produce or seeds to swap with other guests. (Zucchini, anyone?)


Ask the kids to bring a rock or pot to paint and to wear or bring clothes to paint in. (Have extras of each at the ready.) Supply an outdoor space, supervision, paint, brushes, glitter, googly eyes, etc. Offer light snacks and infused water, watermelon and other warm-weather treats. Send everyone off with a small potted herb as a party favor.


Take an inventory of your plants, snap photos or draw maps of your garden, and date them. Note what types of pests you are experiencing. Are animals visiting your plants for a nibble? Which plants are good neighbors? Which plants need more room? Keep a gardening journal up to date all season long to help you plan next year.



Show your children how you use tools such as journaling, mapping, inventories and photos to keep track of plants in the garden and improve your techniques each year for greater success. Involve them as much as possible.


Around the family table, have conversations about all the tools you use to run a household from hammers and tape measurers to financial tools, to relationship tools, organizational and cooking tools, and more. Name one of the categories and have everyone take turns naming a tool that goes with that category. Keep going until you run out of answers. Last person with an answer picks the next category. Repeat as long as it is fun for all. 


Want more recipes? See the Field to Fork website for details.

Savor (the Salad)

Many salad kits are available in grocery stores. If time is short, these are a convenient way to save time and help meet your veggie recommendation. Triple-rinsed salad mixes are ready to eat. You could save money by growing your own greens, though.

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