By Gerald Etter
In Naples, where watermelon slices are sold by sidewalk pushcart vendors, there is a saying that “a good slice of watermelon allows you to eat, drink and wash your face at the same time.”
Although the watermelon is one of our older fruits, the seedless variety wasn’t invented until just a little more than 50 years ago. When you see those tiny white seeds in the seedless variety, don’t worry, the term “seedless” refers to the mature black seeds. Those tiny white “seeds” are ones that did not mature and, according to the National Watermelon Promotion Board, are perfectly safe to ingest.
Not only is watermelon sweet and thirst quenching, it is low-calorie — a perfect choice for a healthy snack or dessert. A one-inch slice provides about half of a day’s requirement of vitamins A and C. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has concluded that watermelon consumption can aid in keeping up cardiovascular health, as it has amino acids that help maintain the arteries and blood flow.
How to select one
Selecting a good watermelon at market can be tricky if you can’t cut it open, or cut out a plug. Some shoppers slap the melons, shake them and listen carefully as they knock on them, but these are not accurate tests. What you should do is look for clues. Check the underside; it should be amber colored or slightly yellow. Reject those with a greenish or whitish color. The watermelon also should be firm, symmetrical and free from bruises, dents or cuts.
A cut and plastic-wrapped watermelon should have firm rich, red flesh and black or dark-brown seeds. Avoid those whose seeds have broken away from their cavities, or ones with a sugary appearance around the seeds. And never select a cut watermelon with a white streak through it.
Tips on handling
Here are some tips on watermelon handling:
- Be sure to wash your watermelon — as well as your hands and the knives — before cutting.
- Cut it in half crosswise, then each section in half lengthwise. Now you can cut the melon into serving slices by placing each quarter section flesh side down, cutting through the shell.
- You can also extract the flesh with a melon baller, or use a paring knife to remove large sections of flesh from the rind. If you’ve removed large sections, slice into one-inch pieces. Rinse the melon balls or pieces under cold water, pat dry and place in a container. Cover and refrigerate. It should keep up to three days.
Here are some recipes:
Watermelon-Raspberry Lemonade
6 cups watermelon cubes (seeds removed)
1/4 cup raspberries
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
Place watermelon, raspberries, water in container of blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Strain through fine mesh strainer into pitcher. Stir in sugar and lemon juice until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until chilled, about an hour.
Makes four servings.
Watermelon Smoothie
2 cups seeded watermelon chunks
1 cup cracked ice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Combine all ingredients in blender container. Blend until smooth.
Makes 2 to 3 servings.
Project H.O.M.E. hosts trained to serve you
By The Senior Snacker
So you believed the library was only for “food for thought.” Well, at one library, you can have the food, too.
Since March, the Parkway Central Library branch of the Free Library, on Logan Square, has been offering light lunches in its H.O.M.E. Page Café.
New tables, chairs and counter tops are in what once was only a marble corridor on the ground floor. You can plug in your laptop computer free (or use
the Library’s) while eating. This was designed as a quiet Internet café by Moshe Safdie, the architect who has designed the dazzling future additions to the Library.
Enter Project H.O.M.E.
The Library offered the idea to Project H.O.M.E., a non-profit organization that addresses homelessness and poverty in the city. Project H.O.M.E., founded by Sister Mary Scullion, provides job training to low-income and homeless adults at the Back H.O.M.E. Café, 1515 Fairmount Ave. They already work in the Library in cleanup jobs. So, why not as food servers?
The name combines Project H.O.M.E (Housing, Opportunities for Employment, Medical Care, Education) with Page, as in your computer startup home page.
The Café offers Starbucks coffee, cold drinks, Metropolitan Bakery breads, and baked delicacies, sandwiches and salads from the Back H.O.M.E Café. The food is prepared daily, supplied by commercial wholesalers, sandwiches and salads made up at 8 a.m. and delivered to the H.O.M.E. Page Café by 10:30. They come in a clear plastic box so you see what you’re getting.
Our lunch for two consisted of a turkey sandwich ($6) — a tomato slice would have been better than the small sundried tomato — and a grilled chicken Caesar salad with garlic croutons for $6 that was large enough for sharing. Other sandwiches included roast beef with blue cheese crumbles and red onion on baguette ($6.50), tuna salad with lemon aioli ($6) and brie with apples, jam and walnuts. Salads included pasta with sundried tomatoes ($6.50) and a Mediterranean plate with hummus and feta ($6.50).
The menu changes daily. But for a full choice, get there early. The Café makes only a limited number of items daily and there are never leftovers.
Starbucks coffees (hot or iced) range from plain brewed ($1.85) to caffe latte ($2.95), cappuccino ($2.75), espresso double ($1.10), Tazo tea ($1.65) and hot chocolate ($2.75). For $1.50, you can bring your own mug of any size (with lid) and fill it with coffee or tea. With a Frequent Coffee Card, you get one cup free after buying 10.
Metropolitan Bakery pastries include puffed-up chocolate croissants ($2.75), oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies ($1.85), bagels ($0.75), scones ($2.25), muffins ($2.15), fudge walnut brownies ($2.35) and gingerbread squares ($1.75). Each day, the Café selects 12 Metropolitan day-old pastries and offers them at $1, but get there early because they go fast.
Wheelchair accessible — plus
The 10 hosts have learned serving skills in a 16-hour training course. Assistant manager David Harris is head of job training. Lisa Kavanagh, who studied to become a chef at the Art Institute of New York City and has worked at Di Bruno Brothers, oversees the Café.
The Café is wheelchair-accessible. Plus, you can plug into a free power strip and recharge the chair’s battery while sipping your beverage and using your computer.
The Café is just about breaking even, but its primary purpose is to train workers. Next year, it hopes to make a profit — going to Project H.O.M.E., of course.
After we left, and were walking on Vine Street, Yvonne Bailey, one of the hosts, ran after us with an umbrella she thought we had left behind. We hadn’t, but Bailey — who opens the Café each morning and says she works there as an example to her 4-year-old daughter of how to get off welfare — had learned her customer service lesson well.
H.O.M.E. Page Café
Parkway Central Branch, Free Library of Phila.
1901 Vine St., Philadelphia, Pa. • 215-320-6191
Mondays through Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Got a tip for The Senior Snacker?
Is there a terrific place near you to lunch with friends or linger over an early-bird dinner? A neighborhood bakery, bistro, deli, market, sweets shop or take-out joint?
If you have a suggestion for The Senior Snacker, please mail it to:
Senior Snacker, Milestones
PCA Communications Dept.
642 N. Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19130-3409
Or email: milestones@hollister1.com