Food Events — the Good and the Dangerous

Uncategorized 2 Minutes

Neighbor Marla, on her ATV, delivered just-picked cucumbers to us. Daughter Kate’s eyes lit up, and John almost drooled. Mere hours later we served them at the table. Kate, commensurate with her size, savored the ones on her plate.

071618 Cucumber lover.JPG

I wondered if John’s eyes were bigger than his stomach. He pigged out on the green, crunchy things. The rest of us were more restrained, though our appreciation was right there. Many thanks, Marla.

071618 Master cucumber lover.JPG

I have a photo to show what was left of two cardamom/almond coffeecakes. Friend Karen shared a container of cardamom with us when we were in New York recently, and that was what flavored our breakfast bread. I first tasted cardamom at John’s family gatherings. His mother was of Norwegian heritage and always baked Christmas cookies with cardamom. It was love at first taste for me. We love it so much, that we have it occasionally throughout the year. Everyone loved the coffeecake. Thank you very much, Karen.

071618 Remnants of cardamom coffeecake.JPG

We all knew the watermelon was in trouble. I was waiting for the melon lovers to ask for it and cut it, because I avoid all but the smallest pieces. Nathaniel found a small puddle under it. We cleaned it up and put it on a plate. That did nothing to turn back the clock.   The melon sat there slowly spewing at us. Nathaniel agreed to cut it to humor me, because he was sure it was inedible. He began making a cut in the middle and suddenly THWUNCK! With a rather low tone the melon split itself in half. Startled, Nathaniel jumped back, out of firing range. Kate’s mother-instinct kicked in. She rushed to make sure her 6’5” baby was safe. We stared at the melon and began to laugh. Nathaniel, with a newly-minted food handler’s certificate, wanted no part of it. I cut a little chunk to taste and said it was watermelon wine. Kate agreed to a bite, and we both backed away from it.

071618 Sick watermelon.JPG

How would we dispose of three-dimensional watermelon wine? If neighbor Shawn and Bob had been home, I might have asked if they wanted the melon for their chickens. I thought of their coming home to find the girls drunkenly staggering about the enclosure and knew I wouldn’t even offer. It was too heavy for plastic garbage bags. I suggested Nathaniel toss the halves over the fence into the empty pasture, now full of waist-high weeds. The horses have been gone for weeks. Hours later I had other dire thoughts. What if the pasture owner mows the field and hits the time bomb melon? What if melon vines spring up there next year to proclaim what I authorized? Golly Pete! I am dreading the consequences, both now and later. Who knew you could get in such trouble with a rotten watermelon?

Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

Published

49 thoughts on “Food Events — the Good and the Dangerous”

  1. The watermelon bomb- that was really hilarious. Did it sit and get over ripe or was it bought over ripe ? I think the idea of chucking it over the fence appeals to me- glad it was into wild pasture land and that maybe next year you can enjoy fresher melons from the wines.
    Kate is beautiful- this is one of the closest close-ups of her I have seen- she is so small- I am imagining her running to the rescue of her 6.5′ child- that was a strong maternal instinct.
    The cardamom coffee cake surprised me- I was thinking I didn’t know Anne would know cardamom. We use cardamom for many things in our cooking- most sweets are flavoured with cardamom. Since you like its taste, powder a bit and if you like tea, add it to your tea- you get great cardamom tea. We love it here.
    Some people like to eat it for the fresh taste it gives to your mouth.
    Susie

    Like

    Reply

    1. The watermelon would have been wonderful if we had cut it immediately. I was 21 years old before I met cardamom. I have tea flavored with it, bought in a shop that featured Iranian foods. I love it, but I don’t think to drink it often.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. Ewww for the watermelon (which I love when it’s not spoiled!). That cardamom cake sounds wonderful. You all eat well! I received a zucchini and a cucumber from a friend’s garden. The zuch is in some chocolate bread and the cuke is soaking in creamed cuke sauce for supper. Gotta love summer.

    Like

    Reply

  4. Whenever talk turns to watermelons I think of the kid’s song: “Just plant a little watermelon on my grave, And let the juice *slurp* slip thru. Now Kentucky Fried Chicken is mighty fine, But all I really want is a watermelon vine…” That being remembered, I wouldn’t worry about that icky watermelon doing anything bad. It’s where it belongs now.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Understand your exquisite taste for cardamom! I had a friend from school who gave us the recipe for cardamom bread and it was always delicious. I guess I could add almonds and cinnamon to make a sweeter cake, yes?

    On Thu, Jul 19, 2018 at 11:55 AM, Mehrling Muse wrote:

    > Anne Mehrling posted: “Neighbor Marla, on her ATV, delivered just-picked > cucumbers to us. Daughter Kate’s eyes lit up, and John almost drooled. Mere > hours later we served them at the table. Kate, commensurate with her size, > savored the ones on her plate. I wondered if John’s” >

    Like

    Reply

    1. I didn’t know chickens liked watermelon until we were having a slight drought. I read that giving them melons would help keep them hydrated. Grandson David wouldn’t mind eating enough watermelon to make him unthirsty.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. Oh Anne…I laughed over the watermelon. I let one sit on my kitchen floor for about a week…thinking it was okay. It wasn’t. I had watermelon ‘wine’ all over my kitchen floor. It was awful. Sticky. Yuck! I love the photo of the cucumbers. I LOVE them. My sister grew them this year and said it is a great crop. She gave me several that I have been feasting on. I love summer. Here’s a link to my watermelon mishap…a post from a 2012.
    https://threepsandq.com/2012/09/07/problem-dont-let-a-watermelon-sit-too-long/

    Like

    Reply

      1. It’s been so long…I thought it sat for a week, but when I read the post saw it was not even that long. Funny how you forget. Come to think of it…could that be the weird smell in the basement right now. No…just kidding. Who would have thought they would turn to liquid so fast.

        Like

        Reply

    1. I’ve never seen a Ritz cucumber sandwich before, but daughter Kate was happy with it. Cardamom meant Christmas to me after I married John. We like sweet muffins with cardamom during the year. That is lots easier than cookies or yeast bread.

      Like

      Reply

    1. I wish I knew where grandson Nathaniel tossed the watermelon. If there were an Oriole here, I’d love to see it. We had them in NY. I could identify them by sight or sound. I wonder what creatures might eat our cast-off.

      Like

      Reply

  10. We visited my cousin in Lucedale, Miss. last summer, the odor coming from the melon fields behind her house was horrible, like sour milk. She explained that the heavy rain that season had caused the melons to spoil and now the tractors were turning them under. What a waste, and what a smell!! Glad you only had to dispose of one!

    Like

    Reply

        1. LOL! You do not talk too much!!! My cardamom connection was Norwegian, but years later I bought Iranian tea flavored with cardamom. I’m glad it is easily available where I live now. Can you buy it near your home?

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

  15. Our girls love when watermelon goes bad! They know they will get to eat it if it does. I could just hear the sound in my head of that watermelon cracking open….it does kind of make you jump.

    Like

    Reply

      1. I grew up in a family that loved to eat. Now I struggle with weight issues. See, we loved to eat what today is considered wrong stuff. Mind you, my mom lived till 92. She used to say everything in moderation is ok!

        Like

        Reply

Do you have a comment? I'd love to hear from you.