Watermelon

**Durgan** · 09-30-2010, 06:18 PM

30 September 2010 Watermelon 30 September 2010 Watermelon

The watermelon patch produced eleven fruit. Some were eaten raw and others given to neighbors. Juice was made from two. The melon was cut into small pieces and boiled for about ten minutes to make a mash, then strained with a new type of press that I recently purchased. It functions effortlessly and is easy to clean. The juice in one liter jars was pressure canned for long term storage at room temperature.The pictures depict the process. Apparently the seeds have a high nutritional content.

**Palooka** · 09-30-2010, 09:58 PM

Yum, water melon juice.

**frugalfranny** · 10-01-2010, 12:58 AM

Originally Posted by Durgan

The pictures depict the process. Apparently the seeds have a high nutritional content.

Yum!! Truly fresh watermelon. I lost mine with all our rain this spring.

I wonder if you could bake the seeds like you do with squash seeds?

Have you ever tried it?

I love acorn squash seeds.......nice size and bake beautifully. Only last a day here.

**Durgan** · 10-01-2010, 05:40 AM

Originally Posted by frugalfranny

Yum!! Truly fresh watermelon. I lost mine with all our rain this spring.

I wonder if you could bake the seeds like you do with squash seeds?

Have you ever tried it?

I love acorn squash seeds.......nice size and bake beautifully. Only last a day here.

I ingest the seeds when eating watermelon slices. The seeds are usually quite soft and there is probably no need to roast. Also, the seeds are rather difficult to separate, since they are usually embedded in the flesh of the fruit.

I looked up the nutritional content of the seeds and it appears to be very high, since there is not much fiber relatively speaking.

**frugalfranny** · 10-02-2010, 02:31 AM

Originally Posted by Durgan

I ingest the seeds when eating watermelon slices. The seeds are usually quite soft and there is probably no need to roast. Also, the seeds are rather difficult to separate, since they are usually embedded in the flesh of the fruit.

I looked up the nutritional content of the seeds and it appears to be very high, since there is not much fiber relatively speaking.

Now you have given me something else to try.

I don't bother to clean off the squash seeds......the flesh adds flavor. I remove any big chunks but that is all.

I have been buying the small seedless but I have got to try this.......the flesh would bake off, I would think.

**nadine64** · 10-02-2010, 05:04 AM

Great pics! Love the new press you have.

**craftypam** · 10-03-2010, 12:16 PM

Wow. You sure got alot of watermelon. I've NEVER been successful growing watermelon. Do you start them in the house early? How early?

My garden hasn't been good for a few years now. I am going to try square foot gardening next year. I think some of my problem is the soil. We have had a compost bin for over a year now and hopefully that will "fix" my garden problem.

**Durgan** · 10-03-2010, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by craftypam

Wow. You sure got alot of watermelon. I've NEVER been successful growing watermelon. Do you start them in the house early? How early?

My garden hasn't been good for a few years now. I am going to try square foot gardening next year. I think some of my problem is the soil. We have had a compost bin for over a year now and hopefully that will "fix" my garden problem.

The amount of compost produced from a household is so small in quantity that it is almost useless, unless you garden is less than about four square feet. I truck in around 10 cubic yards each year to keep the soil healthy.

Plants should be started about the 15 of March for 1 June planting. The seedlings cannot withstand any cold, so don't even think of planting until 1 June. I am frost free for sure by 1 of June. Keep one seedling per growing pot, and do not disturb the root system when planting outdoors. Even cut the pot if necessary to avoid moving the root structure. Watermelon take a lot of room. I let them spread over the grass, which quickly comes back after the fruit harvest.

This year 2010, the seedlings were purchased, since I was away and could not start from seed.

**Durgan** · 10-03-2010, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by nadine64

Great pics! Love the new press you have.

I adore the press. I bought it on a trip to Salmon Arm, BC this summer. The lady in the Kitchen store showed it to me. It is an improvement over a screen colander, and works well for what I am doing making juice. I could not find it on the Internet, and had my daughter sent it to me, since I forgot to pack it on my return trip to Brantford.