Watermelon Pops

,

We don’t really do much for sweets around these parts.  We’ve done some baking with almond flour and coconut flour, but they tend to be expensive.  Fruit has become our go-to dessert and snack.  For months the kids have been asking if the grocery store has watermelon yet, because they couldn’t wait to start having watermelon pops again.  This week the watermelons returned, and there has been much rejoicing.

watermelon

Watermelon is a fruit I buy only because I love my children.  I’m a sweep-the-floor-daily and scrub-the-floor-seasonally kind of gal, but watermelon guarantees that the whole kitchen and dining room make that awful schwlck, schwlck, schlwlck, sticky sound.  Cee comes in the kitchen to get a drink: schwlck, schwlck, schlwlck.  Elle walks to the cupboard to get the markers:  schwlck, schwlck, schlwlck.  Moe runs around the table with a “speard” (the adorable way he says “spear”) he made out of cubes:  schwlck-schwlck-schlwlck-schwlck-schwlck-schlwlck.

a boy and his speard

If my life were my own, I wouldn’t buy watermelon.  Or…maybe I would, but I’d buy the convenience pre-cut watermelon for $10/lb.   But my life is not my own, so I buy watermelon all summer and try to ignore my sticky feet.  The most exciting watermelon disaster came when one rolled, all by itself, off the counter and exploded on the floor.  I am so glad I got to watch the satisfying splurch of watermelon guts all over the kitchen; it made cleaning it up less irritating.  Watermelon is my path to heaven.

If you, too, love your children and want to go to heaven, here is one of our favorite ways to enjoy watermelon.

1.  Cutting Watermelon

the first cut

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut the watermelon in half, then lay it cut side down.
Make a series of parallel cuts 1-2 inches in size, depending on how big you want your pops.

watermelon chunks

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make the same size cuts going the opposite directions, creating a little grid.
There will be some nubbins that are just rind, but the middle will be beautiful speards of watermelon goodness.

2  Freezing the Watermelon

Watermelon Pops

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Usually we eat the edge pieces that are heavy on the rind right away and freeze the center pieces.  The edges aren’t as great for pops.  I typically lay out the pops on a cookie sheet and freeze.  (All the cookie sheets at the time I took the picture were busy in a game of dish jenga, so these pops were frozen on a plate.)

Since the watermelon speards are edible from the get-go you can leave them in the freezer for however long your kids have patience.  5 minutes?  They’re just going to be cold speards.  2 hours?  They will be pop-like.   If you’re like me and forget them overnight, they just need to be taken out and set on the counter for a minute or two before eating.

We’ve tried the pops several ways:

-small pieces with toothpicks
-larger pieces with a fork poked in.
-still on the rind
-with a popsicle stick

They actually seem easiest to eat without any toothpicks (they break off) or forks (they hurt to bite into).  The little bit of rind left is the perfect way to hold on to the watermelon pop.  Usually I make the kids eat them outside because they can get drippy, and then they throw the rind nubs into the compost outside.

That’s it.  Cut!  Freeze!  Eat! Then walk around your kitchen going schwlck, schwlck, schlwlck for days.  Summer, here we come!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *