We hope everyone will join us for this week’s Pathfinder
Produce market at the Village Commons, Thursday from 2 to 5 p.m. We have
everyone’s summer favorite, watermelon, on sale and our Hoop House produce now
includes fresh carrots and “Pride of PV” sweet corn.
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Guest blog by Martha Spiegel,
Development Assistant, Pathfinder Village
Development Assistant, Pathfinder Village
It's
August, so grab the picnic basket and blanket and take advantage of these last
precious days of summer!
One
of my earliest food associations with summer picnics is eating watermelon with
some of the teenagers from my church. I was only 4 or 5 years old, but they let
me hang around with them, which made me feel really cool. We'd all grab
big slices of watermelon and make up various games centered around "pit
spitting”--not typically acceptable public behavior, but in the midst of a
backyard summer picnic it was great fun, and even my mom and dad joined in.
My
family also attended the Watermelon Festival in Montrose, Iowa on several
occasions while visiting my grandmother who lived nearby. I remember endless
tables of all the free watermelon you could eat! I even won a contest one year
for eating my slice of melon the fastest. The Montrose Watermelon Festival
celebrated its 70th year this month.
Joe
Carcione, a consumer advocate better known as The Green Grocer, said
that “watermelon is the only way to eat, drink and wash your face at the same
time.” While watermelons are in fact 92% water, providing a sweet,
nutritious snack and delicious hydration, I can't say that I recommend the face
washing part! Watermelon is a versatile fruit, though. In addition to munching
on a juicy, chin-dripping slice or cutting chunks into a fruit salad, you can
pickle the rinds, blend the flesh into delicious icy beverages, and I've just
learned that they are quite tasty when grilled. I will certainly be trying this
soon.
Watermelons
were recently highlighted in a feature in the New York Times; in fact,
the Times has quite a few
articles about this celebrated summer treat detailing its history, ways it
may be prepared, seeded vs. seedless, and even how best to store watermelons
for the best flavor.
For
a fruit with so much water content, it also delivers a lot of nutritional
value. According to World’s Healthiest Foods (whfoods.org), “Watermelon is an
unusual fruit source of the carotenoid lycopene and a rich source of phenolic
antioxidants. Watermelon contains cucurbitacin E, a triterpene
anti-inflammatory phytonutrient, and unusual amounts of the amino acid
citrulline. Watermelon is a very good source of vitamin C. It is also a good
source of pantothenic acid, copper, biotin, potassium, vitamin A (in the form
of carotenoids), vitamin B1, vitamin B6, and magnesium.” All of that for a mere
46 calories per cup. You can read more about it here: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=31
Watermelon
is currently in season in New York, so dig in to this nutritious summer
treat. And, if you want to spit the pits, I won't tell!
Best regards,
Martha
