Watermelon Enchantment - a superfood for health and beauty and a delicious Watermelon Konfyt Recipe
9 Reasons to Love Watermelons
- Antioxidants, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron, Potassium, Magnesium ... a nutritional powerhouse.
- Makes yummy Smoothies and Green Smoothies.
- The pinky red succulent flesh is fantabulous to eat - especially on hot summer days when it's brought out deliciously cold from the fridge
- The white pith around the red juicy fruit makes a divine konfyt / preserve.
- The seeds can be roasted and added to salads.
- The oil can be extracted from the seeds to make a fantastic carrier oil to moisturize your skin.
- The skin can be used for compost or try pickling it!
- Watermelons are very easy to grow in your own back garden - especially in very sunny climates!
- The whole watermelon can be beautifully carved and decorated and turned into an artistic creation.
Don't you just love it when you can not only very easily grow your own fruit and vegetables; but are able to use every part so that nothing goes to waste? With a little bit of thought and know- how watermelons are just one of these magical wonders!
So read on about this enchanting superfood.
Have you ever tried making Watermelon Konfyt?
Or made a Watermelon Green Smoothie?
* * * Remember * * *
Read and research EVERYTHING wisely and widely; then decide for yourself what works for YOU!
Philosophy of Barbs @ Synchronicity House
A happy little song about .... Watermelons, of course!
Magical Watermelon - a superb superfood
Raw Watermelon is wonderfully good to eat and wonderfully good for our health too!
Although mostly made up of water, I was surprised to discover how rich in nutrients it is - lycopene (red fleshed watermelons) and beta carotene, Vitamin C as well as B vitamins such as B2, B3, B5, B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
Wow, no wonder I always feel so energized and glowing after indulging in one of my favourite raw treats.
And as if that's not enough, Watermelon is one of those magical allowable foods when you are on a diet, as it is low in calories.
What a super food!
Growing your own watermelons will help stretch your Budget - Watermelons for eating, juicing, pickling, preserves, salads ...
Vote for the best way to eat Watermelons
A-B-CDE
Watermelon is good for me.
F-G-HIJ
I can eat it everyday.
P-Q-RST
Ripe and very juicy
U-V-WXY
You will like it if you give it a try.
Z-Z-ZZZ
Watermelon is good for me.
I love to eat the mouthwatering pink juicy flesh of watermelons cut into chunks, chilled from being in the fridge. (And, if it's a hot sunny day that's a big bonus living as I now do in England where sun is often in short supply!).
How do YOU like to serve your Watermelon?
Frozen Watermelon?
My absolute favourite way of eating this enchanting magical fruit is just as it is chilled and raw! I've never imagined eating it any other way.
However, recently, I came across recipes for frozen Watermelon Popsicle - definitely going give them a try!
- Frozen Watermelon Popsicles
Popsicles
Watermelon Konfyt Recipe
Watermelon Konfyt
Watermelon Konfyt (Preserve)
Preserve is the term used when one type of fruit is cooked until a thick syrup is formed; a process completely different to making jam or canning fruits.
And South Africans have their own word for this process - Konfyt (pronounce like "con-fate").
Fruit is boiled rapidly until the syrup is thick and the fruit clear. Lemon (an acid) is added to non acid fruits, not only to improve the flavour; but it prevents the Konfyt from crystallizing.
Then the fruit is bottled in sterilized jars and stored until needed - of course, it never lasts long in our house!
Ingredients
- Watermelon pith from a large watermelon
- Bicarbonate of Soda - 2 Tablespoons to 6 pints of water.
- Sugar - 1lb 3oz per 1lb of fruit
- Water - 4 cups pf water per 1lb of Sugar
- Lemons - juice of 1 lemon per 6lbs of fruit
- Ginger pieces
Instructions for Watermelon Konfyt
- * Slice the watermelon; remove and eat the delicious red juicy flesh while you prepare the rind. You need the rind which is the white pithy part of the watermelon.
- * Remove the green rind (outside skin) from the white pith and this fruit that is left is what you are going to use.
- * Using a fork, prick all over the white pith front and back; then cut into neat oblong or square shapes - large enough that they will be able to fit into your sterilized jars.
- * Weigh your fruit - this weight is what you will use to work out ratios of sugar and water.
- * Using the ratio of 2 Tablespoons Bicarbonate of Soda to 6 pints of water, put the watermelon into the bicarb solution, making sure it is all covered. Leave to soak overnight.
- * The next day, rinse well and put into fresh water and leave for 2 hours.
- * Fill a large pan (big enough to hold all the watermelon) with water and when boiling, add the pieces of watermelon slowly so the water stays boiling. Cook for about 10 - 15 minutes until the fruit is clear.
- * Now prepare the syrup. Place 1lb 3oz of sugar for each 1lb of fruit into a large pan. To this add the water - 4 cups of water for every 1lb of sugar. When it's boiling, add the watermelon, a little at a time. When it is all boiling, add the lemon juice - juice of 1 lemon for every 6 lbs of watermelon. Bruise the ginger pieces, put in a muslin bag and add to the boiling mixture - ginger adds a nice bit flavour to the Konfyt.
- * Boil this mixture rapidly until the fruit becomes clear and the syrup gets thick.
- * Once the syrup is nice and thick, take of the stove and let it get cold.
- * Put the watermelon into the sterilized jars, then add the syrup making sure the fruit is completely covered.
- * Stand the bottles in hot water up to the neck of the jars and carefully boil to sterilize for 15 minutes.
- * When completely cold, cover with a round of wax proof paper dipped in brandy. Put on the lids and seal tightly.
- * Store in a cool dark place.
"I carried a watermelon"
Remember this?
I Googled watermelons and there this pic was, reminding me about the film.
Take some nostalgic time out - watch this classic girly romance..
And pig out on chilled delicious watermelon while you watch.
The soppy romance will lift your spirits and you'll be energized and glowing from the watermelon Superfood!
Mmmmm perfect.
Green Smoothie Recipe
I've shared a cooked recipe and now it's time to enjoy a raw recipe.
Green Smoothie with Watermelon - Anti-aging? - This would make it a very potent witchy brew indeed..........
And the Blender looks an awesome aid for us Kitchen Witches too!
(I've been concocting delicious Smoothies for ages now with a very cheap Blender which does its job really well - so don't feel that you have to get the expensive model when you're starting out).
Mark Twain
“When one has tasted watermelon he knows what the angels eat”
© 2011 Chocolatealchemy