It's Wednesday, and that means it's time for another "Works for Me Wednesday" tip, as hosted by the blog carnival at We Are THAT Family. See this week's Works for Me Wednesday here.Now that watermelon season is here, my family can easily plow through one or two melons each week without even trying. Loss leader price on full sized melon in our region is around $3.50-$4, whereas retail is around $7, so if you're in the mood for a melon, you might want to check the ads for the stores closest to you; one of them is bound to have watermelon on sale any given week throughout the summer. As a matter of fact, watermelons are going for $3.99 at Giant this week!
The only thing I really used to dislike about watermelon was how space/time intensive and messy the whole operation seemed when cutting slices - and once cut, the slices took up a couple of shelves in our fridge. But I figured out a shortcut that works for us:
I use our ice cream scoop to scoop large bites of watermelon out of the melon halves into a big bowl!
Definitely not quite as dainty as a tiny-sized melon-baller, but it gets the job done. Reasons why I love doing it this way:
- Less juice everywhere! With the bowl right next to the halfed section of melon, the scooped bites barely have a chance to drip anywhere. (Compare this with slicing into wedges, which pretty much invites juice to drip all over my cutting board and the countertop.)
- Faster! I can scoop out both halves of a watermelon in less than five minutes - definitely less time than it takes me to figure out the visual math of dividing it into reasonable slices.
- Less energy-intensive. I ask you, what takes more effort: using your most mammoth kitchen knife to slice through watermelon rind again, and again, or scooping lush, soft bites of watermelon?
- It takes less fridge space! Once I have a big bowl full of bites of watermelon, I can either clear one part of a shelf, or spoon the watermelon scoops into smaller work-lunch-friendly Rubbermaid containers. Definitely less fridge space taken than when I have the slices stacked in bowls and trays.
- It makes for a great snack without all the mental effort/prep. Once I've scooped a watermelon, we have ready-to-eat watermelon on hand for 2-3 days - a favorite, healthy snack for all of us, cold from the fridge.
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3 comments:
Now THAT is a wonderful idea! I will definitely copy that - especially when we go camping.
Thanks for the encouragement over at my blog!
That's a great idea. Instead of leaving slices with the rind on in the refrigerator, I chop up the whole watermelon into chunks. Then, like you, I can fill up several smaller containers. It does make a mess on the counter, but it's a one-time mess, and I can handle that.
I also discovered a couple of years ago that you can freeze watermelon, and then add it to smoothies/slushies.
Thank you! I have a huge watermelon (from Giant) sitting on my counter but have no room in my fridge for a big watermelon cut into slices.
Now I think I'm going to have to go make room for a bowl! Thanks!
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