EVENT | What's better than a juicy watermelon in the summer time?

Summer is here and one of our favourite summer fruits is watermelon!! Why? We love it because there are so many different things you can do with a watermelon whether it's eating it on its own, in a salad, making juice or cocktails or even making your own watermelon Popsicle to cool down in the heat!

The Watermelon Queens were in Toronto for a visit to provide us with some facts and recipes to use this summer! The event which was organized by the National Watermelon Promotion Board and Marché featured watermelon in a few of their dishes and drinks.



Unlike regular fruit where you can easily tell whether it's ripe or not, watermelon can be a little bit tricky.
Here are 3 easy steps to selecting the perfect watermelon :)

1. Look for a firm and symmetrical watermelon that doesn't have any bruises, cuts or dents
2. Since watermelons are 92% water, the one you pick should be heavy for its size.
3. The underside of the watermelon should have a creamy yellow spot from where it say on the ground and ripened in the sun.

Here's a look at some of the dishes from Marché that night!

Monk fish with rice and watermleon

Watermelon Queen Martini 

Freshly squeezed watermelon juice and lemonade 

Some health benefits of watermelon include:

• Watermelon is an excellent source of citrulline, an important amino acid
• Just a one cup serving of watermelon provides vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6 and vitamin A!
• Watermelon is low in calories and fat and is cholesterol free so eating more won't ruin your diet or make you feel guilty! 

Watermelons are available in grocery stores usually from May through to October. They are definitely one of the "better value" fruits and always go on sale in the summer. Just remember that watermelon can be stored at room temperature for 7 -10 days and once cut they stay fresh in your fridge for 3-4 days.

For those who are trying to eat clean but still crave sweet things, what we like to do is cut up the watermelon, blend it into a juice and freeze it in ice cube trays! When we crave something sweet and cold in the summer, we pop an ice cube and that usually curbs the craving because it takes so long to eat!

Check out the National Watermelon Promotion Board for more fun and exciting ways to eat more watermelon this summer :)

Use the #eatmorewatermelon to show us how you'll be using watermelon this summer!