Watermelons are rolling in to the square of our small town by the truckload from south Georgia. Any weekend morning this time of year you may have your pick of scented cantaloupes or big heavy watermelons sold off truck beds parked around the square. I like watermelon just fine, but I certainly don't care to eat it by the truckload. So what's a southern girl to do when the summer season is here and she can't resist hauling home a very heavy green and stripey melon?
Well, I don't know if you've heard about this salad that combines watermelon and feta, but I tried it a long while ago at a friend's house in South Carolina. I would never have picked this recipe up and thought to myself, 'hmm, watermelon and feta cheese, sounds delicious!" Cheese and watermelon just don't sound like a good combo. However as I said, I tried it and it was very good. Then I forgot about it for approximately two years.
This Saturday I stopped by the square to look for plums and cucumbers, and the watermelons piled in trucks sparked the memory of a sweet and salty salad. I picked one that looked smallish and later looked up recipes for watermelon salad. I settled on a recipe from the Shiksa in the Kitchen which uses watermelon, feta, mint and lime juice.
It was with some trepidation that I served this to my husband and child at dinner. I was pleasantly surprised that my man was elated with this 'wonderful treat!' "It's so refreshing!" he said. Truly, the mint is delightful, and the combination of sweet and salty can't be beat.
After reading the full post and recipe, I decided to keep the watermelon, dressing, and cheese all separate in the refrigerator. I mix up just as much as we will eat in one or two servings so that it stays fresh and crisp. One watermelon goes a long way, so this would be a great dish to serve to a crowd on a hot summer day. Click through for the recipe and enjoy a seasonal summer treat.
Later that same day...
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