Fill bowl with watermelon balls and other fruit of your choice.
This week the State Farmers Market celebrated Watermelon Day. Watermelons are cool and juicy and perfect for a hot summer day. A watermelon fruit bowl is a great way to serve watermelon, the rind itself serves as the bowl.
Good quality melons are usually firm, symmetrical in shape, fresh, attractive in appearance and of good color. Mature melons also have a velvety bloom – a dull rather than shiny surface. The underside of the ripe melon is yellowish in color, or beginning to turn from a white or pale green to light yellow.
Below are directions to make your own Watermelon Fruit Bowl.
- Cut a slice off the bottom of the melon to make level.
- Cut top third off the melon.
- To make watermelon or cantaloupe balls, scoop out inside with melon-ball cutter or a measuring teaspoon.
- Using a cup as a guide, trace scallops around the edge of the hollowed shell. Then carve out scallops following pattern.
- Fill shell with melon balls, small slices of peaches or assorted fruit as desired.
Watermelons can also be made into a basket. Outline handle on top of melon and cut away portion to leave in shape of a basket. Scoop out red part of the melon to be returned to basket along with the other fruit.
Watermelons, peaches and cantaloupes are abundant at farmers markets across the state. With new varieties of watermelon, it’s easier than ever to create a beautiful, and timeless, fruit bowl. Seedless varieties take the hassle out of making the balls and the rind on many varieties is much thinner than heritage varieties. This makes cutting the scallops a breeze. To make a festive red, white and blue fruit bowl, add some honeydew, sprite melon or canary melon for the white. Or a white yogurt fruit dip can be added to finish off this patriotic crowd-pleaser.
Cut top third off the melon.
Cut a slice off the bottom of the melon to make level.
Use a cup to trace scallops around edge of hollowed shell and then carve out scallops following pattern.
Scoop out inside of melon with a melon baller. With seedless melons this process is even easier.
Fill bowl with watermelon balls and other fruit of your choice.
Make a few “clean-up” touches to your new bowl.