If you’re looking for a post-run thirst quencher, look no further than watermelon. This tasty fruit is 92 per cent water, making it an excellent way to rehydrate.
Good for You
One cup of diced watermelon contains just 200 kilojoules and provides about a quarter of your vitamin C Daily Value and 10 per cent of your vitamin A needs. It also has more lycopene – a phytochemical linked to lower rates of cancer and heart disease – than raw tomatoes.
Get the Best
Whole melons should feel heavy for their size and have a smooth (but not overly shiny or dull) rind. “One side, called the underbelly – the side resting on the ground as it grows on the vine – should be a slightly lighter colour,” says Patricia Wells, author of Vegetable Harvest and We’ve Always Had Pairs… and Provence.. If it’s not lighter, the fruit may have been picked too early. Cut watermelon should have a deep pink colour, without any white streaks.
Kitchen Simple
Wells loves watermelon sorbet in the summer. Cube eight to 10 cups of watermelon (discard seeds). Puree in a blender until you have four cups. Mix with two tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice and one cup simple syrup (boil equal parts water and sugar until sugar dissolves; then let syrup cool). Chill in an ice-cream maker, or leave in your freezer until slushy.
