freezing watermelon/recipes?

[simple girl]

We bought a watermelon Saturday morning at the farmer's market. We cut it open Saturday afternoon, wrapped one half with saranwrap and stored it in the fridge. Cut up the other 1/2 and just now finished this portion.

So we still have 1/2 of a watermelon in the fridge. I can cut it up, and we can try to plow through it in a few more days, but I'm not sure if it will stay fresh that long.

So I've thought about freezing it. I looked on-line and there are various opinions on this. Most say yes you can freeze it (small chunks on a cookie sheet before putting into a freezer bag), but you have to eat it partially frozen with ice crystals in it or it will be mushy.

That doesn't sound so good to me. I'm curious if anyone here has tried freezing watermelon, and what your result was. I also saw some different recipes for watermelon sorbet and even watermelon margaritas...anyone have a tried and true recipe for frozen watermelon?

 

[gettingthere]

I've never tried freezing watermelon, but it does seem that it would end up really mushy. I think the freezing process would burst all the cell walls.

I have had pickled watermelon rind (water-bath canned, like preserves), but have not heard of any way to preserve the flesh.

Maybe use the rest by sharing with your neighbors? Slice and bring to work?

 

[OAG]

Grind up the meat - Watermelon Margaretta? Wife makes Kim Chi out of the rind. For those that do not know Kim Chi is a Korean food dish that is a main part of the Korean diet.

 

[Goonie]

Frozen watermelon will be mushy if you let it thaw out all the way....been there, done that. Eating it while it's still just slightly frozen isn't too bad...a nice cold refresher on a hot day! Otherwise, I'm with gettingthere....share with the neighbors.

BTW, another refreshing, healthy treat (I can't believe I said healthy...what's wrong with me?! Slap me with a slab o' bacon! ) is frozen grapes. We put a dozen or so grapes (I prefer red grapes) in a small open bowl and stick 'em in the freezer. Then if I want 'just a little something' to snack on, I can reach in and grab a few. Like a mini-popsickle without a stick. Yum!

 

[Khan]

You could make watermelon juice, either now or after thawing.

The white part of the rind is a good addition to chicken soup.

You can also make pickles from the white and green rind.

 

[TromboneAl]

From my college days, I seem to remember something about watermelon and vodka. The memory is a little hazy...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Ya beat me to it Al.

Cut a small hole about 2" deep and the diameter of a vodka bottle top. Open bottle and stick it in and put it in the fridge. Scoop chunks out here and there but leave the bottle in place. As the watermelon loses hydration, the vodka will replace it.

Just dont eat too much of it or we'll have to revisit that 'watermelon is as good as viagra' thread...

 

[thefed]

frozen watermelon tastes WONDERFUL if eater partially frozen still....nothing better on a hot day

 

[Sarah in SC]

We use rum for the watermelon, you can cut it into chunks and pour the rum over it. Tasty and entertaining!
Also you can try watermelon granita, take the watermelon, cut into fairly small thin pieces and place on a pan in the freezer, stirring about every hour until frozen. Google granita and I think you can get better instructions.

 

[Zoocat]

Seems like you could make juice out of it too.

2 cups watermelon chunks, seedless
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup cold water
5 ice cubes
juice of 1 lime (optional)

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Serve over ice.
Serving Size: 1 tall glass

 

[HFWR]

Wasted away again in Watermelonville... O0