Yellow Watermelon!

Fourth of July is coming up, and I love watermelon.  Last year I also wrote about watermelon around this time.  This year, the message remains the same - gentlemen, eat your watermelon!  It has lots of lycopene which helps to prevent prostate cancer.  Ladies, eat your watermelon because you need lycopene too!

However, the surprise I have for you is that from our garden, we tried to grow heirloom yellow watermelon.  Check out my pictures!

Sliced Yellow Watermelon

There it is, it's really yellow!  It does taste like watermelon, this one was not as watery but still tasted just like watermelon!  I would think the nutritional qualities are slightly different, but otherwise, tastes like watermelon!  Though when I eat it, I am thrown for a loop, I must say...

Yellow Watermelon

In case you feel unsettled and you just need to see the familiar red watermelon, I have included a picture of our 'mini' watermelon from our garden.  You can't really tell it's minature - but the size of the seeds are kind of big for the fruit, and there is a slight rim around the right, along the peel.  It fit perfectly in a bowl :).

Seeded Watermelon

Fresh Tomato Recipe

Since we are all about healthy food here, I think food in its natural state is just as beautiful (and delicious looking) as that when cooked and prepared.  Here's a shot of what came out of our organic garden!!  Handpicked and those tomatoes were a result of us watering and watering (no small feat).

Totally organic yellow squash, red tomatoes, small yellow tomatoes, red and orange peppers, green chives and green beans.  No pesticides, no GMO, just pure flavor and nutrition.  Vine-ripened tomatoes just cannot be compared to grocery store tomatoes that are "artificially" ripened by ethylene gas.  Organic, vine-ripened tomatoes have much more body when it comes to taste.

Tomatoes are technically a fruit and are an excellent source of Vitamin C.  Note that a tomato grown in a hothouse has half the Vitamin C content as a vine-ripened tomato.  Tomatoes when cooked with oil, are rich in carotenoid lycopene, which in studies has led to a significant reduction in prostate cancer (take this advice to the stomach, fellas!).  Lycopene in tomatoes is also linked to protecting against lung and stomach cancers.

Haven't tried this recipe, but it sounds about right (should be good).  I sometimes add mushrooms for even more flavor.  A Williams-Sonoma recipe for Fresh Tomato sauce.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Use the freshest vine-ripened tomatoes you can find to prepare this simple sauce.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lb. ripe plum tomatoes
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbs. minced fresh oregano
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbs. minced fresh basil

Directions:

Place the tomatoes in a tomato press or food mill set over a bowl and pass them through the press or mill. Repeat as needed until all the large pieces of tomatoes are crushed. Set aside.

In a sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the oregano and stir to combine. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the basil and cook for 1 minute. Makes about 3 cups.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Source: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/ and 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden
A picture of one of our tomato plants: Garden Bounty

4th of July: Eat that Watermelon!

Happy 4th of July to you as you celebrate this weekend!  A great time for BBQ's, fun with friends and family, and time off to enjoy the summer.  I bet the 4th weekend is the biggest grilling weekend of the year in the U.S. (no stat to support, purely a guess).  Steaks, ribs, hot dogs and throw in the potato salad, chips and dessert; pretty much all-American.

One part of the BBQ that I love, but too bad it always comes at the dead end, is when we cut up the watermelon.  Someone with either some strong arms or a conveniently parked car will come and haul the big fruit to the BBQ site.  The pink refreshing, crunchy, sweet fruit when served cold is the perfect quench to a hot summer day.

Watermelon quenches thirst because it is 92 percent water!  If you are looking to lose some weight this BBQ season, load up on watermelon early.  It is extra filling, a high-volume food, meaning that it takes up a lot of space in your stomach for few calories.  Just what the dieter needs.  So you feel less hungry, and the water bound to the food slows down absorption. 

Even better, watermelon is super high in lycopene which is associated with lower rates of prostate cancer. It also has Vitamin A and carotenoids, which create a support system for the lycopene to work best.  Many benefits from the enjoyment of eating watermelon.

Only moderate downside is the natural sugar content (or high glycemic index), but its glycemic load, which may be more important, is low (for those who track this).  I think summertime is a time when we sweat more anyway, so the extra sugar from watermelon is a good thing.  Would be much more concerned about the sugar from the pies and ice cream than that from crunchy watermelon.

Source: 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, by Jonny Bowden
Picture Source: http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/greenscene/2009/09/watermelon-powered-cars.html