Fruits from the Weekend

Here's a little taste of what I needed to know this weekend. The only thing not food-related was the ukulele search (it was unfruitful). The rest, as I'm sure you can tell, was very much so. In fact, we had a fruit-filled weekend.

After a couple of Googles, I decided there was indeed no time like the present to pick the muskmelon (cantaloupe) and one of our watermelons from the garden. The Internet told me that the cantaloupe would be more forgiving because it'll ripen on the counter for a day or two, but I had to be careful with the watermelon. There's no exact science to say when, precisely, to pick it. 

"When it ceases to grow any more."

"When thumped, it makes a hollow sound."

"When the ground spot is yellow or cream, but not green."

I should also mention that I could've sworn I planted Moon and Stars heirloom watermelons. But when they all grew into perfect little spheres, which are having a hard time making it past 5 pounds each, I got to wondering. I looked up a number of varieties. The Moon and Stars variety, which boasts spotted leaves and a dark rind with small yellow dots (and bigger "moons") can weigh in at nearly 30 pounds. And they're oblong. But Sugar Babies met the description of what I saw in our bed, so perhaps—perhaps!—that's what I planted. 

Watermelon and cantaloupe from the garden.

In any case, I picked the biggest one and hoped for the best. It weighed almost 5 pounds and when I cut into it, all was well with the world. Boy, was it perfect. We ate half of it plain, but I soaked the other half in tequila and sprinkled it with salt—impromptu watermelon margaritas. Thank you, Pinterest!

The muskmelon was even more delicious. Perfectly peach, super sweet, and deliciously fragrant. Our niece was standing next to me when I cut into it, and she exclaimed, "Wow. You can grow ANYTHING in your garden." Just another reason I love that kid.