Originally from southern Africa, the watermelon is a sprawling, vine-like plant grown for its large fruit with the sweet juicy flesh we know as watermelon.

Related to other melons, such as rockmelon and honeydew, watermelon are usually heavy, ovoid or round in shape with thick, dark green to yellowish skin with stripes or markings.

When cut open, the interior is a bright pink colour with firmer white flesh closer to the skin. Small dark to white seeds are scattered throughout the flesh, but seedless varieties are now more common. 

Watermelon take around four months to grow and can be eaten raw or cooked. To determine if a watermelon is ripe, tap on its rind and if it makes a hollow, drum-like sound, it is ready to be harvested. Watermelon can be stored at room temperature until cut, then should be covered and placed in the refrigerator.

There are many varieties of watermelon, with the most common being Red Tiger, Viking, Allsweet, Sugar Baby and Champagne. In South Australia, locally grown watermelon are available from mid-summer.

Local growers Gerry Bariamis, Patlin Gardens and B&A Andonopoulos sell watermelon at Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market, which runs on Sundays from 9am to 1pm at the Adelaide Showground, Leader Street, Wayville. B&A Andonopoulos also trade at the Willunga Farmers’ Market on Saturdays from 8am to 12.30pm.

There will be locally grown watermelon for sale at the new Gawler Farmers’ Market, which opens this Saturday, January 30, and will continue trading each Saturday from 8am to noon at the Gawler Visitor Information Centre, 2 Lyndoch Road, Gawler. (The first market will be celebrated with 30 food stalls and free activities for families, such as a cooking demonstration by Sprout Cooking, a bouncy castle, a balloon artist and sack races, egg and spoon races, water bucket relays, apple bobbing and boot throwing by Kelly Sports.)

Here, Willunga Farmers’ Market chair, foodie Pip Forrester, shares some of her ideas on how to enjoy fresh, locally-grown watermelon this summer:

“Watermelon is so deliciously refreshing at this time of year,” she says. “The classic combination of watermelon, feta and mint as a salad is hard to go past, but another idea is to use the watermelon in wedges as the base of a canapé. The toppings could be anything, but I would think about ingredients that are a bit salty and contrast with the sweetness of the melon. The Alexandrina Cheese Company Feta would be perfect, but blue cheese, prawns, ham or other smoked meats would also be delicious.”

Watermelon, mint and feta salad

Ingredients

½ watermelon, chopped into cubes
A couple of handfuls of fresh mint leaves
Jar of South Australian feta

Method

Place watermelon cubes on a plate or bowl then crumble the feta and toss the mint leaves over the top.

Watermelon Gazpacho

For something more substantial, but still very refreshing, try this watermelon gazpacho.

Ingredients

5 cups seedless watermelon, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped green capsicum
½ – 1 tsp salt
¼ freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cumin powder
½ cup chopped coriander
2 tsp chopped jalapeno pepper
1 tbsp lime juice
¼ tsp chilli powder
1 cup finely chopped seedless watermelon, to garnish
½ – 1 cup finely diced avocado, to garnish

Method

Place all the ingredients – except for the watermelon and avocado garnish – in a blender and puree until smooth. Adjust the seasoning and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Just before serving, stir through finely chopped watermelon and avocado to garnish.

Serves 4