We grow the following varieties: Athena, Erli Dew, Arava, Mickey Lee (pictured second from top), Sugar Baby, Yellow Doll (pictured top), Tropical/Galia, and Canta (pictured bottom).
 

Photos by Jake Griggs

Melons

The sections below were copied with permission from Mi Ae Lipe’s Tastes from the Valley to Bluff: The Featherstone Farm Cookbook (2008).

• Wrap thin slices of honeydew with prosciutto, salami, or other high-quality characuterie melon.

• Cut a honeydew in half, scoop out the seeds, and fill the cavity with berries or other cut fruit. Then drizzle honey, maple syrup, a little lemon or lime juice, or whipped cream over the top, and break out the spoons.

• Dice honeydew and add to your favorite salsa recipe; its sweetness helps balance out an especially fiery salsa.

• For the ultimate in sophistication, serve thin slices of honeydew with the finest smoked salmon.

• Honeydew pairs well with rustic foods like artisan cheeses, crusty breads, and cured meats. Use it as a palate cleanser between tastings.

• Combine balls or chunks of honeydew with cantaloupe, crenshaw or casaba melons, watermelon, berries, mandarin oranges, pineapple, guava, and kiwi. This can be great fun for kids, especially with "dipping sauces" such as yogurt, honey, or maple syrup.

• Melon wedges can be grown-up, even sophisticated, when dressed up with vanilla ice cream, bits of candied ginger, orange-flavored liqueur, rosewater, or lavender syrup.

Serving Suggestions (Watermelons)

• Watermelons are a wonderful, thirst-quenching snack anytime and are surprisingly filling, either by themselves or in conjunction with other fruit.

• Kids and adults alike love foods in fun shapes: Cut watermelon, cheese, and sausage into cubes or flat squares, and arrange to create checkerboards or a Rubik's cube. Serve with toothpicks and a variety of tasty dips and sauces.

• Hollow out a big watermelon shell and fill it with assorted fruits and melon balls tossed in a spicy-sweet ginger-lemon-mint dressing.

• Mince watermelon and toss with maple syrup to use as a topping on pancakes, waffles, ice cream, and sherbet.

• Use watermelon puree to add a subtle, sweet, fruity flavor to sauces, glazes, and marinades.

• Grill whole shrimp and watermelon cubes on skewers.

Recipes

Honeydew and Cucumber Salad with Sesame (serves 4 to 6)

Dressing

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons rice-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce

1 & 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon (toasted) sesame oil, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Salad

1 seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

2 cups 1-inch cubes of honeydew melon

2 scallions, minced

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted slightly and cooled

1. In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, ginger, tamari or soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and the vegetable oil until the dressing is well-combined.

2. Add the cucumber, melon, and scallions. Toss the salad until it is well-combined. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Credit: Pillsbury Most Requested Recipes, as appeared at www.fooddownunder.com

Watermelon and Chicken Salad (serves 4)

1 (3-pound) red watermelon

12 ounces, oriental noodles, uncooked

1 pound grilled boneless chicken breasts

10 ounces seedless cucumbers, thinly sliced with peel

2 ounces green onions, thinly sliced

Bamboo shoots, thinly sliced, for garnish

Parsley springs, for garnish

Sweet-and-Sour Ginger Dressing (recipe below)

Sweet-and-Sour Ginger Dressing

2 & 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

4 ounces soy oil

1 ounce sesame oil

1. To prepare the dressing, mix the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger until thoroughly mixed; set aside. Combine the soy and sesame oils in a salad dressing shaker; gradually add the vinegar mixture until blended. Shake well before serving.

2. Remove the rind from the watermelon and cut the flesh into 1 to 1&1/2 inch cubes. Cover and refrigerate.

3. Cook and drain the noodles; set aside.

4. To make an individual serving, arrange 1 sliced chicken breast in a spiral on top of 3 ounces of cooked noodles. Place 3/4 cup cubed watermelon and 1/3 sliced cucumbers beside the chicken. Sprinkle with green onions. Garnish with bamboo shoots and parsley sprigs, and serve with Sweet-and-Sour Ginger Dressing.

Credit: National Watermelon Promotion Board

Watermelon Strawberry Mint Salsa

For a dynamite combination, serve this salsa with grilled chicken breasts that have been marinaded in jerk seasoning before cooking.

1 cup diced watermelon, seeds removed

3/4 cup diced strawberries

1/4 cup diced red onion

2 tablespoons diced, seeded jalapeno

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon sugar

Gently stir together all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand to blend flavors, about an hour.

Credit: Chef Marty Blitz, Mise En Place, Tampa, Florida; National Watermelon Promotion Board

Roasted Soft Summer Fruit

Wash and cut up (large pieces) plums, nectarines, peaches, cherries, berries or pears or a combination.  Place in a heavy glass baking dish in a single layer.  Sprinkle with a little brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and dot with bits of butter.  Bake at 375 degrees until fruit is soft and slightly browned.  Serve plain or with a little vanilla ice cream or custard sauce.  Or serve with yogurt and a little granola for breakfast.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2011 - Week 5

Melon Slushie

This is my invention -- try it and see what you think.  Freeze chunks of melon - about two cups per serving.  Make a simple sugar syrup (1 cup sugar to 2 cups water) by heating sugar and water and boiling about a minute.  When syrup is cool, add juice and grated rind from one or two limes or lemons or mixture of the two.  Add a little fresh mint too if you have some.  Put frozen melon and syrup into a blender - about 2 cups melon to 1/2 cup syrup.  Add a few extra ice cubes if desired.  Blend until drink is slushy.  Serve.  (You could add sparkling water or gingerale if you want a carbonated drink.)

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 12

Watermelon Compote

Make a syrup sugar syrup: boil together 1/2 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water until sugar is completely dissolved.  Add 2 T. fresh lime juice and 2 T. chopped candied ginger.  Cool.  Cut watermelon into cubes while syrup is cooling.  Pour over melon.  Stir a few times to distribute syrup.  Macerate at least one hour before serving.  Serve chilled.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 15

2010 Harvest Festival Raspberry Salsa

Thanks to Letitia (Tish) Kopperud for assisting Peggy with this project.  

This dish could be served with corn chips for dipping.  It could be served as a side dish with any Mexican type food.  It  would even be good as a side salad with a simple turkey or grilled cheese sandwich or hamburger.

4 c. watermelon, cubed (1/2 inch is nice size)

3 pint cartons of fresh Featherstone Farm raspberries

2 c. chopped fresh tomatillos

1 c. chopped red sweet pepper

1 c. chopped onion (sweet if possible)

2 T. minced fresh garlic

2 - 3 T. minced fresh serrano peppers (jalapeno would work too.)

1-2 T. sugar

choice of:  3 cups chopped fresh cilantro or 1 cup chopped fresh basil

choice of: 3/4 cup rice vinegar or 3/4 cup red wine vinegar 

(NOTE - we thought rice vinegar went well with the cilantro and that red wine vinegar would be best with the basil.  For either approach, you could also substitute some lime juice for some of the vinegar.)

Credit: Cook out of the Box - Tried and True Chili 

Last updated on March 16, 2012 by Featherstone Farm