I went to a friend’s house and made snow cones. When I came home I asked my mom if we could buy a snow cone machine and she said “No, but I have a better idea.” She remembered the Watermelon Wonder recipe from her Dad’s cookbook which used frozen watermelon to create a slushy and thought we could make a watermelon ice.
She went on the internet and found Watermelon Granita. She said it would be like a snow one but better and she was right!
Did you know that when you cut into a watermelon there is a pattern? Look for it next time you cut one open. Tell me what you see in your watermelon.
You can also make this “Yellow Watermelon Wonder” with yellow watermelon. I think yellow watermelon is better. It is sweeter and juicier. We ate so much of the yellow one we did not have enough to make yellow watermelon granita. We will buy 2 melons next time to make a yellow snow cone. My brother will love it because his favorite color is yellow.
My mom found these watermelons at the Morningside Market from Woodland Gardens. They are certified organic and everything we buy from them is very good. Look for watermelons with a yellow spot on the bottom.
Directions
1) Wash and cut open a watermelon. Remove the rind and seeds. Use a stainer if you bought a seeded watermelon. The white seeds will puree but the black seeds will not. If you remove the seeds by squeezing the watermelon pieces with your hands, then you will have about 6 cups of watermelon juice along with small pieces of watermelon.
2) Squeeze the juice from 1 organic lime. It will be about 1 tablespoon. Add to the Vitamix or blender.
3) Add 1/2 cup of organic cane sugar or coconut palm sugar to the blender. Add 8 cups of cubed watermelon or 6 cups of watermelon juice. Puree and taste. If you like more lime, add more lime juice. We saw recipes with 1/3 cup of lime juice so add more if you want. Pour the puree into a glass pyrex dish with a lid. Freeze.
4) Scrape with a fork after 1 or 2 hours and then let freeze again for 2 more hours. Scrape again. This can be made 3 days ahead of time.
5) Serve in a glass dessert cup or fancy martini glass. My mother sells these glasses on her store if you like them. They are handmade and I love to use them! Garnish with the zest from a lime. I created a heart shape with the lime zest since watermelon is heart healthy. Enjoy!
In case you want the Watermelon Wonder recipe I mentioned above, here it is.
The Ultimate Cookbook
Watermelon Wonder
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: None Freezing time: 1 hour
2 cups cubed seeded watermelon
1 cup lemon-lime soda (such as Sprite), chilled
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2/3 cup ice cubes
Place watermelon in freezer; freeze until firm (about 1 hour). Remove from freezer and let stand 10 minutes. Combine watermelon, soda and juice in a blender and process until smooth. With blender on, add ice cubes, 1 at a time; process until smooth. Serve immediately. Yield: 2 servings
Per serving size (1½ cups): 97 calories, 1 gram protein, 1 gram fat (percent calories from fat, 6), 24 grams carbohydrates, no cholesterol, 23 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
References:
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/06/watermelon-granita
https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/07/watermelon-granita/
This article was researched and written by my daughter. This fall, she will be asked to research topics and give presentations to her class. These posts are good practice for her. We hope to find topics your children find interesting and encourage them to start writing as well. If you have any great ideas for posts about foods or fun activities, feel free to share them in the comments. She would love to hear from her friends. We hope you are having a great summer!
