What to Do With an Abundance of Watermelon: 10 Ways to Use It Now (or Save It for Later!)
These are our popular IceBox red watermelons.
So… we are swimming in watermelons over here.
You know how farming goes: you wait and wait for a crop to be ready… and then suddenly ALL OF IT IS READY AT THE SAME TIME. That’s pretty much what happened with our watermelons this year. They came on so fast and furious that we actually rented a giant refrigerated reefer unit just so we’d have somewhere to put them and could keep selling them over the next several weeks.
We had so many watermelons that we ran out of cooler space. So we had to rent this giant refrigerated reefer to store them.
And let me tell you… we STILL have watermelons — red and yellow! Which means we’re pretty motivated to find homes for these beauties, and around the Bench house, we’ve been looking for every possible excuse to eat watermelon too.
So I started thinking: What DO you do when you’ve got more watermelon than you can possibly eat in wedges? Turns out, there are all kinds of creative ways to eat it, freeze it, preserve it, and tuck some away for later. If you can, use seedless watermelons to save yourself the extra step of removing the seeds.
So I pulled together some of my favorite watermelon exit strategies for you.
1. FREEZE IT
Cut your watermelon into cubes, remove any seeds, and spread the pieces in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, then transfer the cubes into freezer bags.
The texture will change after freezing, so you probably won’t want to thaw it and eat it like fresh watermelon. But those frozen chunks are PERFECT for smoothies, slushies and frozen drinks.
This one step will become the basis of MANY other exit strategies you can then use watermelon for later on… (see below)
TIP: Freeze some in smaller bags so you can grab exactly what you need for one batch.
2. MAKE WATERMELON SMOOTHIES
Frozen watermelon becomes your secret smoothie ingredient.
Throw a handful into the blender with strawberries or other berries, lime juice and a little mint. Add yogurt if you want something creamy—or coconut water for something lighter.
You can even blend watermelon by itself and freeze it in cubes first, then use those cubes in smoothies later.
Our niece Nora is a big fan of the yellow.
3. MAKE WATERMELON SLUSHIES
Blend frozen watermelon with fresh lime juice and just enough water to get the blender moving. That’s it!
Want to get fancy? Add mint, basil or strawberries.
4. MAKE WATERMELON POPSICLES
Got kids? Here’s your watermelon exit strategy. Puree watermelon, pour it into popsicle molds and freeze.
You can keep them 100% watermelon or experiment with lime juice, berries, yogurt or fresh herbs. It’s ridiculously simple—and suddenly you’ve moved a LOT of watermelon into the freezer.
Watermelon comes in many colors including orange, yellow, and red. The sweetest is yellow.
5. DEHYDRATE WATERMELON
Yes, you can dehydrate watermelon!
Cut it into thin, even slices, remove the rind and dehydrate until the pieces become chewy and leathery. The water disappears and the sweetness becomes concentrated, leaving you with something almost candy-like.
Here’s a blog that shows you how it’s done.
If you’ve got a dehydrator sitting in the basement collecting dust, THIS is your excuse to pull it out.
6. MAKE WATERMELON FRUIT LEATHER
Here’s another fun one.
Puree the watermelon and turn it into fruit leather using your dehydrator’s fruit-leather trays. Because watermelon contains so much liquid, some recipes combine it with another fruit such as strawberries to give the finished leather a little more body.
Try this recipe for step by step instructions.
7. DON’T THROW AWAY THAT RIND!
Yep. You can eat that too.
Pickled watermelon rind is an old-fashioned preservation trick that turns the firm white portion of the rind into a sweet-and-tangy condiment.
If you’re interested in canning it for your pantry, use a tested watermelon-rind pickle recipe from a trusted canning source so you’re using the correct vinegar and processing method.
8. GO SAVORY with WATERMELON.
Watermelon doesn’t have to be dessert.
Try cubed watermelon with feta + cucumber + fresh mint or basil. Add a little red onion and finish it with balsamic vinegar or glaze.
9. Watermelon slices with salt.
Nuf said. Try it.
(Our crew from Mexico likes to top watermelon slices with tanjin spice).
10. MAKE JAM OR JELLY
Yes, watermelon can even become a spread.
There are watermelon jam and jelly recipes that combine watermelon juice or pulp with sugar, lemon juice and pectin. If you’re preserving it for shelf storage, once again, use a tested canning recipe rather than improvising the acid and processing time.
Try this one from MelanieCooks.com
So… Maybe You DO Need Another Watermelon
Watermelon season doesn’t last forever.
So if you’ve been hesitating to grab one because you’re worried it’s “too much,” remember: you don’t have to eat the whole thing this week.
That’s one of the joys of eating with the seasons. When the farm gives you an abundance of something, you enjoy the heck out of it, and find ways to tuck a little bit away for later.
We’ve got LOTS of beautiful Shared Legacy Farms watermelons in the online store right now.
Want to buy our certified organic produce? Do you live in the metro-Toledo area?
We’d love to provide food for your family! It’s easy to order from us every week. Get on our email list here, and every Saturday at 3 PM, I’ll email you to let you know what’s on deck for the following week:
https://www.sharedlegacyfarms.com/email
Here’s how you buy from our farm:
1. Every Saturday I email you with what’s available to preorder in our online store.
2. You place your order online by Sunday night. You’ll be asked to choose from 3 pickup locations during checkout. (See below).
3. You pick up later that week at your pickup of choice. It’s even drive-thru!
Here are our 3 pickup online pickup sites:
Tuesday: Elmore, Shared Legacy Farms, 3701 S Schultz-Portage Rd, Elmore, 5:30-6:30 PM
Tuesday: Sylvania Five Lakes Church (OLD CAMPUS!!), 5:15-6:30 PM
Thursday: Perrysburg, Grace Church on 601 E Boundary: 5-6:30 PM