Lost Recipes: Watermelon treats so good you'll lose your rind

As the heat rises here in the South, there’s one treat that’s sure to please: watermelon. Our kids love running around with huge hunks of it, eating and getting the juice everywhere.

So do grownups, and folks who think they're grown. In fact, they're more likely to be the ones doing watermelon seed-spitting contests. Big slices of "summer's favorite fruit" were often used by my old high school football coaches as an after-practice treat to cool us down.

Back in 1913, the Montgomery Advertiser wrote about an old annual celebration that always brought Alabama State House officials in as guests for a watermelon-eating celebration, held at portico of the Supreme Court library. They had 40 watermelons from the State Convict Department, grown by inmates at the state farm at Speigner Prison. They diced them up and the governor himself declared they were delicious.

There’s no word on if the inmates who raised the watermelons ever got a taste.

Besides being a good way to cool down on a hot day, watermelon is low in calories — you’ll get about 130 of them in a slice that’s about an inch-and-a-half thick. It’s also a good source of vitamins A and C.

You know, there’s more than one way to slice up this delectable treat, and the Advertiser has been sharing them for decades. In this week’s Lost Recipes, we’re kicking it off with several treats kids and grownups liked from way back in 1940.

Watermelon Salad

Here’s a simple one that’ll probably be a “grown up” treat. Start with 2 cups of watermelon, cut into 1-2 inch pieces. Add 1/3 cup of orange sections, cut into cubes with the seeds removed. Arrange them on lettuce leaves and serve with ranch dressing.

More: Lost Recipes: These 1916 dishes are anything but 'medi-okra'

Watermelon pickles

You know that watermelon rind you were about to throw away after eating all the juicy red center? Don’t. Instead cut it up into small pieces and soak them overnight in one quart of water that’s been mixed with a tablespoon of salt. The next day, drain them and cook the pieces in boiling water until they’re tender.

No, you’re not done. Put your cooked rind in a pot and add 1 ? cups of vinegar, 2 cups of brown sugar, half cup of water, a cinnamon stick, a teaspoon of ground ginger and a half teaspoon of ground cloves.

Cook that for 20 minutes, drain and then put the watermelon rind into sterilized jars. Boil syrup for 10 minutes and then pour over the watermelon rind and seal it.

I’ve got no idea what this tastes like, so please let me know if you try it.

Watermelon and cantaloupe balls

You know that little scoop tool that’s been sitting in a kitchen drawer gathering dust for years? Here’s your chance to give it a workout.

Scoop out two cups of watermelon balls, then scoop two more cups of cantaloupe balls. You’ll also need a half cup of powdered sugar and a half cup of orange juice. Mix it all together, and arrange it in a cocktail glass. Garnish it with mint leaves.

Frozen watermelon

Take four cups of watermelon, seeded and cut into ? inch pieces. Mix in 4 cups of powdered sugar and two  tablespoons of sherry flavoring. Mix together and freeze without stirring.

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Crafting watermelons

In 1981, Montgomery was host to a special watermelon exhibit — yes, an exhibit — of watermelon crafts at the now-closed Green Garden Gallery on East Fairview. It was called “The Watermelon Invitational Exhibition,” a fruity collection or art from Stanley & Schenck Gallery of Atlanta, inspired by watermelons. According to the Advertiser story written by Julie Debardelaben, gallery owner Barbara Gallagher said most of the watermelon-inspired art was created by Southerners.

In honor of the exhibit, Gallagher (no known relation to the famous watermelon-smashing Gallagher comedian), had a few watermelon recipes of her own to share:

Watermelon chutney

• 2 pints of watermelon pickle (see recipe above)

• 1 cup raisins

• 1 cup chopped pecans

• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

• 1 small chopped onion

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Half teaspoon ground cloves

Cut the watermelon pickle into small pieces. Cook the pickle and juice with the other ingredients for 10 minutes, and then let it cool.

Watermelon ice

This is different from the frozen watermelon recipe above, but you’ll use a lot of the same stuff from the recipes above. Get the scooper ready, folks. You’ll need:

• Half of a large watermelon

• 8 ounces of orange juice

• Juice from two lemons

• 1 cup of sugar

• 1 beaten egg white

• Watermelon balls, cantaloupe balls, cherries and seedless grapes

Scoop the middle of the watermelon into a cloth bag and squeeze the juice out of it into a large bowl. To your watermelon juice, add the orange juice, lemon juice and sugar. Stir it and pour into ice trays to freeze. When it’s slightly frozen, add the beaten egg white and finish freezing it. To serve, place the frozen watermelon ice into a bowl and chop and stir it into a mushy stage (basically a watermelon slushy). Garnish it in the serving cups with the watermelon and cantaloupe balls and other fruits.

Gallagher said you could add milk to this for a creamier taste.

Fruit kabobs in a watermelon boat

Of course, watermelons can be carved into different shapes, and that includes elaborate serving bowls. Here’s one from Gallagher that’ll be a beautiful party centerpiece.

You’ll need a large, very sharp knife for this one. Cut a thin, flat layer off the bottom of the watermelon so that it will sit evenly on the table. Then slice off the top third of the watermelon and use the inside of the it to make watermelon balls. On the bottom part, which will be the boat, cut a zigzag around the edge, and remove the red watermelon to just below that.

For the kabobs, you’ll take the watermelon balls, strawberries, cherries, pineapple chunks, cantaloupe balls, and assemble them on wooden or bamboo skewers. Then stand the kabobs in the watermelon boat.

IF YOU TRY IT

If you decide to try one of these lost recipes please send us a photo and a note on how it went. Send it in an email titled "Lost Recipes" to Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Lost Recipes: Watermelon treats so good you'll lose your rind