Bringing Back an Old Fashioned Summer - Chilled Melon

Growing up as I did in the country, a watermelon right from the field was a common snack, especially when Granny had all seven of us grand kids at once.   Now there's a lot to be said for a juicy sun warmed watermelon, but I always thought it was extra special when we had one in the fridge and it came out sugary, juicy, and COLD.  How refreshing it was!  Especially on one of our hot Georgia summer days that had topped out at 100F.  Granny never had air conditioning and so we spent the majority of our time outdoors where it was at least a little cooler than indoors.  We'd sit under the old oak trees in the back yard and Granny would upturn a big galvanized tub to use as a table.  She'd bring out the watermelon and a sharp butcher knife.  I can still hear the 'crack' of the rind as she'd slice through it and then push the pieces apart.

One of our favorite things to do was to have a curved section of the end.  We'd scoop out a hollow in the middle of the flesh, then a small trough and drink the juices that the flesh exuded. 

One summer when money was particularly tight, Granny had rented a field to a cousin, who planted it full of melons.  We kids were sent out each morning to choose two melons, one to eat after lunch and another to eat after dinner.  After a week of eating watermelon twice  a day we groaned at the idea of eating anymore of it, lol.  But it served it's purpose in keeping our bellies filled and giving us a 'treat' at the end of the day.

Because there are only two of us at home, I tend to buy the tiny round watermelons, often seedless which is better suited to our needs.  Not at all the sort of melons we grew up eating, but tasty.  The one thing that hasn't changed: a chilled melon on a hot summer's day is always refreshing.  Let's chill a melon and have an old fashioned summer treat.