"One woman, lived in a very large watermelon
She had two stools and a chair and a lamp
She cut her window and carved out her living room
And hung a picture and put up a cupboard
And raised a cat to hunt mice in the corner
And suddenly the season ended… "
…..The song "A woman in a watermelon", words by Nurit Zarchi, music by Shlomo Gronich, translation by Maggie's garden editorial staff.
יוסי אבולעפיה
As appropriate to the wonderful pumpkin family, which includes Cinderella's famous carriage, the gourd that contained an entire full world in which lived a man (Asian folk tale) and the wonderful gourd that dramatically changed the life of a child from the movie released in recent years, the watermelon, a member of the extended family of gourds, has many uses for all its parts.
During a particularly passionate political debate, half a watermelon was thrown at Roman governor Demosthenes. Demosthenes kept cool, put the watermelon on his head and respectfully thanked the thrower for providing him with a helmet for the coming battle against Philip of Macedon …
A watermelon is eaten in its entirety. Although it is most easy, delicious, obvious and natural for us to jump straight to the quenching heart of the watermelon, the seeds (if existent, a subject for another newsletter) can be roasted and the peel can be pickled. Here are two recipes:
Link
PICKLED WATERMELON RINDS , A RECIPE FROM BENNY SAIDA. INGREDIENTS ENOUGH FOR A JAR OF 3 LITERS
Ingredients:
Fleshy watermelon peels from one medium watermelon
2-3 stalks of celery with leaves
At least 5 cloves garlic (or preferably more)
One hot green pepper (can be dropped if you really don't like spicy)
Chilled boiled water
Salt
Preparation:
1. When serving the watermelon try to leave a thin layer (2-3 mm) of red flesh adjacent to the peel. Cut the peels into strips 2 cm thick and with a peeler peel the dark green side, so we are left with greenish-white strips decorated with little red color.
2. Cut each strip into rectangles 4-5 cm in length. Arrange them in layers in a jar and randomly place the celery, garlic cloves peeled and cut in two, and hot green pepper.
3. Mix each cup of water with a teaspoon of salt. Add to the jar until its full and the water completely covers the rinds. Add more celery on top and seal well.
4. Place on a windowsill, in clear sunlight, for 10 days.
5. Taste. If needed, wait a little longer; if ready, refrigerate.
A RECIPE FROM THE FOOD SECTION OF THE NEWSPAPER "LA-ISHA" RATING: (26 votes)
Ingredients:
1 kg watermelon rinds
10 cups lukewarm water
8 tablespoons salt
1 head of garlic, separated to cloves not peeled
1 bunch of dill
6 light colored celery leaves
3-4 hot peppers
1 teaspoon whole black pepper
1 teaspoon whole English pepper
2 slices of lemon with peel
1/4 cup oil
Preparation
Remove the green part from the watermelon peel and cut into strips or into large chunks. Pour the water into a bowl and dissolve the salt. Make a small cut in each clove of garlic.
Place at the bottom of the jar half of the dill, arrange alternately the watermelon rinds, garlic cloves, dill, celery, hot pepper and black pepper and allspice.
Place on top the lemon slices, and pour the salt water and oil until completely covered. Close the jar not tightly, leave in the sun for a few days and then store in the refrigerator.
A bit of watermelon history:
The origin of the watermelon is in the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa. It loves lots of heat and grows here in the summer. It should be planted very early in order to try to stay ahead of the viruses that attack this family during the summer.
There is evidence, including murals, that watermelon was grown in Egypt 4000 years ago. Watermelons were left in burial rooms to provide nutrition and quench the thirst of those on the long journey to the next world. Also in the Bible it says: "We remember the fish … the cucumbers and the watermelons" that were in Egypt. From there it found its way to the rest of the Middle East. Watermelon was grown in our country and mentioned in various portions of the Mishnah. It also went to China,(which is now the world's largest watermelon grower. The watermelon continued on its way to Europe with the Moors and to the U.S. with the African slaves and new settlers from Europe.
Virtues:
The abundant amount of liquid inside the watermelon cleans the body and is recommended for those suffering from problems with the bladder, liver function and also for kidney cleansing. They say another virtue of the watermelon is cleaning the body from cigarette smoke, whether acquired actively or passively. Watermelon is rich in potassium, pigment (an antioxidant), lycopene (studies have demonstrated efficacy in fighting against cancer) and vitamin A.
Yemenite Jewish medicine suggests cleaning spots in the mouth and treating bad breath by soaking crushed watermelon seeds, filtering and rinsing the mouth.
Iraqi Jewish medicine used to irrigate jaundiced patients with watermelon juice, milk and lemon. They also used watermelon peels to treat skin infected by fungus.
Libyan Jewish medicine rubbed watermelon rinds on skin spots to make them disappear.
The Rambam recommended drinking boiled water with watermelon seeds to prevent the buildup of kidney stones.
The secret of choosing a watermelon:
thump thump thump….. the mysterious voice that echoes back to us when we thump on a ripe watermelon…..
And also the tip of the watermelon that was attached to the plant should be a little dry. Depending on the species of watermelon, usually the side lying on the ground has a yellow stain. Look for it!
When the watermelon gets home, you can store it in a cool, dry place for a maximum of about a week. After that it will begin to lose its taste and texture. If you already cut into it, it's best not to freeze, but keep in the refrigerator in a closed container.
Some interesting and fun points:
1. "Bring a clean shirt" and "swallow the seeds to save time "are two tips provided to participants of the watermelon eating contest on the American Independence Day.
2. The largest watermelon weighed 122 kg and was grown by Lloyd Bright in 2005 from the town of Hope, Arkansas, USA.
3. Can watermelon replace Viagra? Texas Agricultural University published a study which showed that watermelon contains a large amount of an amino acid that, like Viagra, expands the blood vessels. In order to feel the effect you must eat six cups of watermelon a day (and also note that you will pee a lot…)
4. In Chinchilla, Australia the watermelon Festival is held every two weeks, where participants participate in throwing watermelons, spitting seeds and sliding on a flat surface wearing watermelon rinds on their feet….
5. Roasted watermelon seeds in Asia compete with sunflower seeds as the "national snack" in many countries.
6. In South Russia it is customary to add watermelon to beer.
7. My father remembers from his college days cutting a hole in a watermelon and pouring in a bottle of vodka. Eating the watermelon a few hours later was a lot of fun.
Have a juicy, wholesome and refreshing week,
Maggie and your team
I expect in our juicy baskets: (draft only)
Mint
Swiss Chard
Dark zucchini
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Celery
Cherry Tomatoes
Onion
And Potatoes
Larger ones also:
Corn
Basil
And beets
Fruit baskets:
Melon
And Apricots
Larger ones also:
Personal Watermelon, of course
And cherries
