Tips & Tricks for Cutting Watermelon

Food 1 Minute

It’s summer and around our house, that means WATERMELON! Now, this article (on liveeatlearn.com) I found for tips and tricks for cutting watermelons will NOT, I repeat, NOT prepare you to make anything close to the picture posted above—but it is so pretty! These are basic tips for cutting basic shapes and getting the most out of your melon.

Instructions 

Wedges

Halve: Place the watermelon on a sturdy cutting board. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut the watermelon in half crosswise.

Quarter: Rotate one watermelon half to its flat end and cut it down the middle. Rotate and cut it again down the middle to create four quarters.

Slice: Set two quarters aside, and lay the other two down. Slice them into 1 or 1 ½-inch slices (or your preferred thickness). Repeat with the remaining quarters.

Sticks

Halve: Slice the watermelon crosswise into two halves. Set one half aside while you work with the other.

Slice: With the cut side facing down, slice 1-inch wide pieces all the way across the half. Rotate it 90 degrees and repeat the slices in the other direction.

Cubes

Remove Peel: First, trim both ends of the watermelon and cut it in half crosswise. Stand one half upright and carefully slice off the rind in strips from top to bottom. Follow the curve of the fruit to minimize wastage. You can come back to remove any white sections in more detail since they can taste bitter.

Slice: Once you’ve removed the rind, keep the cut side facing down and make 1-inch slices across the watermelon

Cube: Lay a few slices down on top of one another and cut them into 1 or 2-inch strips. Rotate the strips 90 degrees and make crosswise cuts to form 1 or 2-inch cubes. Adjust the cube size according to your liking or recipe.

Once you master those tips…can this be far behind?

SOURCE: LIVEEATLEARN.COM

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Published by pat frederick

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101 thoughts on “Tips & Tricks for Cutting Watermelon”

  1. Good morning and thanks, Miss Pat! I’ve got a small round seedless watermelon to cut up for Sally Q.

    The biggest trick is to clean up all the juice before it dries sticky or attracts sugar ants. Maybe cut it on a plastic meat cutting board with edges to keep the juice from spreading all over the counter. Because of the mess, I always dread cutting up melons.

    Speaking of melons, did you ever eat candied citron melon? It was a wild melon erroneously called a citron in S GA.

    A real citron is a rough ugly lemon like fruit and was also made into preserves.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citron#/media/File:Chinesische_Zedrat_Zitrone.jpg

    Many of the preserves, jellies, conserves, candied peels, etc. that were common on ladies tables when I was a child, are no longer prepared by modern ladies. It was time consuming, but these concoctions were heavenly on a piping hot buttermilk biscuit spread with real butter. But, good ole homemade biscuits are also rare these days….

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Morning GA!
      I have a square cutting board with a well all the way around. I just cut mine yesterday–hubby doesn’t like it, so i eat it all…lol
      I do a quarter at a time on the board on the counter next to the sink so i can empty the drippings (if there’s a lot) into the sink between quarters.
      this is the second one i’ve had this season and it’s not as sweet as the first–but still good.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Smart lady. Not crazy about watermelon like Sally Q is, but I love cantaloup if its good and ripe filled with cottage cheese or tuna salad.

        Liked by 2 people

          1. NO – I eat junk a lot! I’m off sweets for a while and do feel better, but I eat a lot of our family chex mix or cheese and crackers. That’s because I get so tired by the time I feed Sally Q, that I don’t want to fix myself anything.

            Liked by 2 people

            1. when i get that way, I eat peanut butter toast and have fruit. LOL
              you do have be careful of your own health GA! you are the central peg that holds it all together for the family it seems. you have to make sure you take care of YOU too!!

              Liked by 2 people

      1. Amazing how many fruits, vegs, nuts the old timers knew how to preserve. Cellars and pantries would be full of jars and barrels of good things to eat.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. my hubby grandmother was a farm wife. she canned everything she could. hubby said her pantry was a large room lined with shelves! bu they had good fruits and veggies year round. his grandfather died at 93 and his grandmother “retired” with her son and his wife to Florida. she came up one October (they drove) to celebrate her 100th birthday which would be in 3 months. (they wanted to avoid a winter trip) she saw everyone in the family and had an awesome time. on the way home, she told her son, I’m happy i got to see everyone i love one more time. then she fell asleep and passed away. she was determined to see everyone again and she did.

          Liked by 2 people

        2. Canning was a staple in my family – Mom still cans a lot and my adopted Mom canned, too. Every year, Mom cans, tomatoes mostly, and various sauces. I think she buys a bushel of tomatoes every year to can and she grows a couple of patio tomato plants just to eat. We had an unfinished basement and it was mostly dark, with only a few lights and always cool – all the canned goods were stored there.

          Liked by 2 people

    3. Morning, GA! Hope things are going well for all of you!

      I bought a small seedless melon yesterday, too! I always put a newspaper down on top of the cutting board, then cut it into quarters. Once I’m done with the rind, I wrap it all in the newspaper and put it in the trash can. I’ve been cutting the slices and cubing it but I don’t need to do that anymore – I realized yesterday I can chew it even w/o teeth. So I’ll go back to my old way of eating watermelon: quarter the melon and put one quarter into a bowl, rind down. Generously salt and eat with a spoon. Pour the juice down the sink and the rind into the trash can wrapped in newspaper. It’s a lot less messy that way.

      Liked by 2 people

        1. I have a subscription to our local paper and every Wednesday, I get the NDN sales insert in the mail. I save all of the Plainview papers – I developed that habit when I was using my fireplace all the time.

          Liked by 2 people

    1. Morning, Pat! It’s 65 here this morning and clouding up as we speak – another storm coming thru later today but next week is supposed to be clear and sunny, much hotter, possibly getting into the 90’s.

      Norfolk is having their Big Bang Boom Festival (Boomfest) this week-end at Skyview Lake. Started yesterday and continues today until 10:30 pm – looks like they’re gonna get rained on this year. My a-Mom lived not far from the lake and HB, family and I went to their house to watch the fireworks one year. We could see them w/o having to actually fight the crowds at the lake itself.

      The lake is located in what used to be a valley to the north of our old house that the city flooded to build the lake. It was where I went to tramp the hills with my dog Midnight on our Sunday afternoon outings. There was an old decrepit, abandoned house in the valley that I LOVED exploring! I found all kinds of cool things, altho I can’t recall now what they were. That entire area was still rural – saw a rattlesnake on one of those outings. Used to be, the cemetery to the north was outside the city – now, there are housing developments waaaay past the cemetery.

      Ah, for the old days! Have I mentioned lately that I do NOT like change?

      Fricking NDN – can’t copy/paste any excerpts!

      https://norfolkdailynews.com/news/two-day-festival-features-fireworks-music-cars-wings-and-more/article_36f76b22-33cf-11ef-8f80-df6b074cf4ce.html

      Liked by 1 person

  5. TheseTruths

    TheseTruths(@thesetruths)

    Offline

    Wolf

    July 6, 2024 02:32

    Speaker Mike Johnson:

    The SAVE Act will safeguard our elections by ensuring only American citizens vote in federal elections.

    Elon Musk:

    Those who oppose this are traitors.

    All Caps: TRAITORS

    What is the penalty for traitors again?

    Those who oppose this are traitors.

    All Caps: TRAITORS

    What is the penalty for traitors again? https://t.co/lyREyskPv4

    — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2024

    Liked by 2 people

  6. sunnydaze

    July 6, 2024 12:23 am

    Another train derailment. N.D.

    Health officials issued an urgent warning after a train carrying toxic materials derailed and exploded into a fireball in North Dakota.

    The hazardous materials in the train included anhydrous ammonia, sulfur and methanol, which officials warned are being expelled from the… pic.twitter.com/XqOqg5PdQG

    — Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) July 5, 2024

    Liked by 1 person

  8. sunnydaze

    July 6, 2024 1:08 am

    Today at the WI. Middle School :

    Biden: “I’m staying in the race. I’ll beat Donald Trump. I will beat him again in 2020.” pic.twitter.com/I3y80UpAzb

    — The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 5, 2024

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Troublemaker10

    July 6, 2024 1:10 am

    What is Biden hinting at?

    BREAKING: In a veiled threat, Biden tonight claimed the only reason Trump is ahead in the polls is because he has not been challenged “in a way he’s about to be challenged.” Biden cryptically implied something ominous is about to befall his GOP nemesis

    — Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) July 6, 2024

    Liked by 1 person

    1. No, it’s not in the “near future!” The near future is now and has been for some time now!

      “I’ve watched this decline with a good friend, and now he must have full-time care where he’s not allowed to make decisions. This is Joe’s near future.”

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Big thunderstorm last night – with a big strike near us at the end. This morning, this building has no poer, except for the circuits run by the emergency generator are out.

    The kitchen outlet and under-counter lights were flickering and the coffee maker would not work, so I had to move it to ‘dining room’ table to make coffee. Some of Sally Q’s outlets are attached to the emergency circuit so we can put her on her lift to get her to the bathroom toilet.

    At least I have coffee!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. when we visited my mom before, she had a kuerig coffee maker which i can’t stand. (I am spoiled–hubby makes the world’s BEST coffee) anyway, one weekend we brought our coffee and used her old regular Mr Coffee. when she had coffee, she was amazed at how good it tasted! (my brother bought her the kuerig since it’s only her there). hubby taught her his “recipe” and now she makes a cup or two sometimes during the weeks we’re not there, but like me, she loves HIS coffee. she can’t wait for us to come again. (I think she likes being waited on too, which i am wont to do)

      Liked by 2 people

      1. She deserves it after putting up with you kids!!! LOL – I only use my Keurig for specialty coffees but I haven’t used it for some time now. It’s easier to just buy the flavored creamer I like best…and cheaper!

        Liked by 1 person

  16. just checked on our garden. first 2 tomatoes are almost all red. the damn chipmunks ate another zucchini! the biggest one remains probably cuz it couldn’t break it off and run with it! but there are more flowers. the watermelon plants are alive and finally turning into vines. and every pepper plant has at least one pepper and dozens of flowers.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. I don’t understand why they even have elections! Part of the facade, I guess.

    Just The News: “Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon turned politician, won Iran’s presidential runoff election Saturday after running as a moderate who would warm chilly relations with the West and modestly reform the Islamic Republic’s hardline policies.

    Pezeshkian was declared the winner over hard-liner Saeed Jalili by about 3 million votes. Pezeshkian, 69, promised no sweeping changes to Iran’s Shiite theocracy led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But he offered voters weary of years of protests and strikes against hardliners some reprieve in crackdowns, including easing enforcement of the country’s mandatory headscarf law.

    He also promised to try to engage the west more effectively and tonight Iranians, who often felt ignored by the hardliners who have dominated the country the last several years. 

    “I am your voice, even the voice of the 60 percent whose voice is never heard and did not show up at the polls,” he said in a campaign video recently. The election was held after the late President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash.”

    Liked by 1 person

  18. “Will Ol’ Joe Go Gently Into That Good Night? Between the Scylla of staying in and the Charybdis of leaving, Biden may try to hold onto the presidency – even for dear life.”

    PAUL INGRASSIA, JUL 06, 2024

    EXCERPT: “Whether Joe Biden will drop out of the presidential race has quickly become the most important question in the final stretch of this unprecedented season, ever since his disastrous performance at last week’s presidential debate finally put both his party and the world on notice about the sheer magnitude of his decline. 

    Although most Republicans have been aware of Joe’s condition for a while now – really, ever since he decided to run for president from his Delaware basement four years ago, the Democrats – as well as their apparatchiks in the mainstream media, like CNN and The New York Times – have finally shone the spotlight on this escalating crisis. And it’s not like they had much choice: Biden’s cognitive impairment is undeniable. Like many other eighty-year-olds, he is an octogenarian with dementia. But unlike those who suffer in the relative peace and solitude of close family and friends, a president with dementia becomes a walking national security and constitutional liability. 

    He audibly struggles to string together a few basic words to produce a coherent sentence. He visibly tires after speaking for more than five minutes at a time. His hands shake and his voice quakes. He can barely walk in a straight line without wobbling – or being supported by his wife who pretends to be a doctor. But, alas, Our First Lady, the Good Doctor, has not the remedy for this patient. 

    Joe Biden has a debilitating condition; in more normal times, he would not be permitted to carry out the solemn duties of his office. No man with such declining mental faculties should ever have possession of the nuclear codes.  But these are not normal times – we are living through a polarized country featuring a forgetful president and his power-hungry wife. Any movie with that plotline would end in disaster. Ours quickly is spiraling towards that outcome — but unlike the movie, it’s happening in real time.

    There are good reasons to think Biden might step down. For one, this is the first time in living memory where he cannot count on the media to cover up his countless problems. The post-debate analysis by CNN called the debate an unmitigated disaster for Biden – the first bit of accurate reporting from that network in years. Van Jones, a former Obama aide, called on Biden to reexamine his place in the race at this late stage. The New York Times, a few days later, went one step further and called on Biden to drop out altogether. Many other major outlets in the mainstream media soon followed….”

    https://paulingrassia.substack.com/p/will-ol-joe-go-gently-into-that-good

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Just The News: “Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has remained largely silent following his June 27 debate in which President Biden gave a halting performance – instead allowing fellow Democrats and the media to criticize or raise questions about Biden’s age and mental acuity. 

    In the days after the debate two House Democrats – Reps. Lloyd Doggett, of Texas, and Raúl Grijalva, of Arizona – have called for Biden to end his reelection bid, amid reports that donors are poised to stop contributing to the Biden campaign and Virginia Democrat Sen. Mark Warner is requesting a meeting with members of his conference to discuss Biden’s path forward. 

    “I don’t think anybody in the Trump campaign has ever said they want Biden off the ticket,” former Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski told the New York Times, said about the debate response by Trump and/or anybody else on Team Trump. 

    In Trump’s campaign stop in Virginia the day after the debate, the former president largely focused on what he considers Biden’s failed policy issues. “Joe Biden’s problem is not his age; it’s not his anything,” said Trump, according to Slate.com. “He’s got no problem other than his competence. I know people that are much older than him doing unbelievable things, making a fortune.”

    Meanwhile, Trump’s Truth Social account has nearly gone dark, with only limited posts highlighting favorable polling data, a Fourth of July message, and a handful of endorsements. The lull in activity is uncharacteristic for Trump, who maintains a near constant social media presence.

    Political observers have suggested Trump is laying low because at 78 he is only three years younger then Biden and/or that he prefers to face Biden rather than an alternative candidate. The Trump campaign declined to comment Friday about Trump’s scaled-back social media presence and instead highlighted a post from the candidate in which he celebrated a Fourth of July address he made to veterans.

    Trump has not been entirely inactive amid the nearly non-stop talk about whether Biden can survive the debate performance and resurrect his campaign. On Wednesday, Trump in a leaked video, while apparently playing golf, says about Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris: “He’s quitting the race. I got him out of the race and that means we have Kamala. I think she’s gonna be better. She’s so bad. She’s so pathetic.

    “Can you imagine that guy dealing with Putin and the president of China who’s a fierce person, who’s a fierce man? … He’s probably quitting.”

    The next day Trump suggested he could put to rest concerns about Biden’s cognitive ability by having a second debate – with fewer restrictions on participant conduct. “Let Joe explain why he wants Open Borders, with millions of people, and many violent criminals from parts unknown, pouring into our once great Nation … and so much more,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “It would also, under great pressure, prove his ‘competence,’ or lack thereof.”

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Also covered: Orange County 2022, Fulton County 2020, Detroit 2020

    EXCERPT: “Municipalities across the country trying to meet the demands of collecting and tabulating election ballots with their set workforce have resorted to hiring temporary workers, which has contributed to election irregularities and security concerns.

    Such issues surfaced last month in Arizona’s Maricopa County and have been seen in other county or city governments including Detroit, Florida’s Orange County and Georgia’s Fulton County over the prior two election cycles.

    And as the November presidential election approaches, some municipalities will hire hundreds – even thousands – of temporary election workers.

    Maricopa County 2024:

    A Maricopa County temporary election worker was arrested last month for allegedly stealing from the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center. 

    Walter Ringfield, Jr., 27, was booked on charges of theft and criminal damage for allegedly stealing a security fob and keys from the center. The fob is used to gain access to ballot tabulators, as workers hold it to the machines and then enter a password, according to Votebeat.

    MCTEC released a statement to ABC15 on the alleged theft, saying, “[W]hen completing a daily inventory, Maricopa County elections workers identified that an item was taken from the Ballot Tabulation Center on Thursday evening, and staff took immediate action to investigate the matter and contacted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

    “The stolen item has been recovered, but to ensure the integrity of Maricopa County Elections, election workers are reprogramming and re-conducting logic and accuracy testing of all equipment.” The reprogramming cost the county around $20,000.

    Court records and media reports show Ringfield has previously registered as a Democrat voter and received ballots in recent Democratic primaries….”

    https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/election-irregularities-security-issues-abound-counties-hire-temporary

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Julie Kelly

    @julie_kelly2

    NEW: A few new briefs in FLA docs case. Jack Smith still pushing for partial gag order on the basis Pres. Trump’s “inflammatory” language about MAL raid endangers law enforcement. Trump’s team responds with their own criticism of Biden’s lies about SCOTUS immunity opinion:

    Like

  23. Doubling down on stupid!!!

    Just The News: “Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he plans to address public safety issues by investing in people. Speaking at a public forum in the Little Village neighborhood, the mayor blamed Chicago’s violence on disinvestment by previous administrations.

    “My vision for safety in Chicago is that every single neighborhood has safe spaces, and that we are fully funding our public accommodations: education, transportation, healthcare, jobs,” Johnson explained.

    Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said it is important for police and members of the community to work together. “We have to humanize each other. It can’t be us and them. It’s gotta be us,” Snelling said. Snelling stated that police cannot address public safety alone.

    Johnson’s administration developed the People’s Plan for Community Safety. Johnson said he wants to create stable neighborhoods by providing economic security. “Violence is essentially the symptom of resources being snatched away from our communities,” Johnson said.

    Deputy Mayor Garien Gatewood connected safety with guaranteed income. “You look at work like Treatment not Trauma, you look at guaranteed basic income, you look at all this wraparound support that we will get to and why we have taken such a targeted approach to safety and violence in the city,” Gatewood said.

    Gatewood previously served as director of the Illinois Justice Project. The group helped guide policy support of the SAFE-T Act, which Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law in 2021. The law eliminated cash bail in Illinois.”

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Just The News: “Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party and former leader of the UK Independence Party, won his first-ever British parliament seat on Friday. Farage previously served as a pro-Brexit member of the European Parliament. His current party, Reform UK, won four parliamentary seats on a vote share of about 14%, according to reports.

    “My plan is to build a mass national movement over the course of the next few years and hopefully be big enough to challenge the general election properly in 2029,” Farage said following the election results. 

    Farage and other Reform UK candidates took a strong position on controlling immigration, which has gone up after Brexit. “We’re getting poorer. Our productivity is going down. Our public services are failing. Britain is broken and the population explosion is the main reason why,” Farage said before the election.” 

    Liked by 1 person

  29. tyshab
    tyshab
    July 6, 2024 12:01 pm

    The White House payroll reaches historic highs not seen since President Richard Nixon in 1971.
    BIG NUMBERS
    During President Joe Biden’s four years, he spent $225 million on the largest White House payroll since at least 1971, based on headcount. White House staff for FY2024 cost $60.8 million.
    Biden has a total turnover since his first year of 77-percent. A stunning 435 out of his initial 560 White House staffers left.

    https://openthebooks.substack.com/p/breaking-who-is-running-america-565

    Liked by 1 person

  30. I decided to bring the more classy memes/posts early today!

    “Plan for the week-end”

    I remember enjoying wandering thru record stores back in the day!

    Iceland

    “Who Won The West. Heck, Who Won North America.”

    Liked by 1 person

  32. we ran for more caulk and talked to Mom.

    she was very upset. her cousin’s wife passed away last evening–she was one of those in her “gathering” last week that she was so excited for. my mom told me last week that this woman talked and talked and no one else got a word in edgewise, but other than that, a very sweet woman.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. it is. then she told me my aunt (who lives next door with my uncle) told her when she called them to tell them, that she has issues with her kidneys. she’s diabetic and now when she stands she gets dizzy. she said she has 2 treatment options–dialysis or something else the family can do (???) i never heard of an alternative to dialysis before.

        and then she told me my brother was freaking rude to her–so she was really upset. hubby was a prince though–he kept driving past the store and just waved at me to keep talking as long as Mom needed to. I married a wonderful man.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. “Medical management for kidney failure
          Some people with kidney failure choose not to have dialysis or a kidney transplant and instead opt for medical management. The goals of this type of care are to:

          — maintain your kidney function for as long as possible
          — ease your symptoms
          — manage or prevent possible complications of kidney failure, such as anemia and metabolic acidosis
          — improve your quality of life
          — allow you to start planning for end-of-life care

          People may also refer to this type of care as palliative care, conservative management, or comfort care.

          Medical management of kidney failure has two components. We’ll give an overview of these below…”

          https://www.healthline.com/health/kidney-disease/kidney-failure-treatment-without-dialysis#medical-management

          Liked by 1 person

  34. “Paige McGrew told deputies that her husband had placed the large firework on his head to “show off” after drinking for several hours. “He was holding this firework over his top hat,” Paige later told The Post and Courier. “I thought he was just showboating before he set it on the ground. I didn’t realize he had already lit it.”

    His wife was telling McGrew to stop when the firework suddenly erupted and he collapsed. Coroner Paul Brouthers said the exploding device caused massive head injuries that would have killed McGrew immediately.”

    https://www.postandcourier.com/news/summerville-man-dead-fireworks-accident/article_62c98748-3ad3-11ef-8818-4763ccc875ed.html

    Liked by 1 person

  37. Just The News: “Federal judge Judge Aileen Cannon granted former President Donald Trump his request to delay some deadlines so prosecutors could examine the U.S. Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. 

    Trump’s attorneys on Friday requested that Cannon give them permission to file documents to argue that Trump should be immune from prosecution in the case. The former president’s team specifically requested a schedule that goes through early September, according to The Hill.

    Cannon ruled on Saturday that prosecutors and special counsel Jack Smith have up to July 18 to respond to Trump’s argument, The New York Times reports. 

    The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 earlier this month that Trump is immune from federal prosecution for some official acts he took while in office, but the justices made clear that there is no immunity for unofficial acts. Trump’s attorneys also cited Justice Clarence Thomas’s opinion in the Supreme Court decision, questioning Jack Smith’s authority as special counsel.

    Cannon postponed two deadlines for the classified documents case, which could potentially cause a small delay.” 

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I’m thinking that it applies to the requirement for the more complicated dispenser on gas cans due to “climate change” that captured the fumes or some such nonsense. They became much more complicated and expensive.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. that would be an excellent trade irs for ice!

      illegals should not be counted in the consensus because they are transient. they come into one state and leave for another…almost continuously. they don’t buy homes in one place–they look to be housed. so they should NOT get representation. if they do, those reps will be fighting to represent them not Americans

      Liked by 1 person

  47. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

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