Watermelon Lemonade Sorbet

Adam is known to bring home “things” from work… Often.

Fortunately for me these things are often food… With the exception of rocks he collects for our landscaping and there was talk of a stump at a farm that he was interested in recently.

“A stump… Like a tree stump?” I asked.

“A super gnarly tree stump with it’s roots and sides jetting off of it,” he way too excitedly replied.

“Okay… So is it for the yard?” I asked wondering why we would ever need a stump.

“No, I want to make a coffee table with it.”

Blank stare by Claire.

“Oh, just get on Pinterest. You will see what I am talking about.”

First of all, my husband encouraged me to go spend time on Pinterest. #wifewin

Second, HE was inspired by Pinterest for a project. #wifewin

Third, this was a project just for him. Not me. #wifewin

You see… when he brings home food from days working with a farmer client it means a project (AKA work) for the both of us.

A box of freshly butchered pork burgers? Great! Let me get out the vacuum sealer so we can get these in the freezer right now.

One hundred ears of sweet corn? Wonderful. Let’s get those blanched and frozen tonight.

Cover crop seeds? Cool! Let’s make time to get those in the ground tomorrow.

Last week, he walked into the house carrying a huge watermelon.

He looked so proud bringing home this treat and I laughed… I laughed because it looked like he was carrying a big watermelon baby.

It was a big watermelon baby. And I had no idea what to do with it.

Watermelon has a reputation for being a summery food. It’s a well deserved reputation because it’s refreshing, slightly sweet and colored in vibrant pinks and greens.

However, most watermelon are not ready until late summer if they are planted after the threat of frost in the Chicagoland/North-Central Indiana area. Large watermelons need about 100 days to grow from a seed to maturity. 100 days is pretty much from mid May to Labor day.

So that watermelon you had on the Fourth of July? It’s a greenhouse melon. Or, it’s from Florida.

Depending on who you ask there’s really nothing wrong with a greenhouse melon or even that Florida melon, but I just try to eat locally and seasonally. This melon that Adam brought home was for sure local. It came from a farm less than three miles away. And fit the seasonality… on paper.

Normally early September is a great time for watermelon in Indiana. Produce stands on street corners are booming with them and watermelon at my work’s produce supplier has it’s best prices this time of year.

But, last week it felt more like late October then early September. Temperatures barely reach seventy making me crave warm comfort foods like chili and homemade breads. Not refreshing, summery watermelon. So the watermelon baby sat on the counter for about 48 hours while I tried to figure out what the heck to do with it.

Finally Adam said, “Let’s just cut it open and see if it’s even ripe.”

A ripe watermelon will have a “thump” sound when you knock on it, but with the cool August we were skeptical. Adam cut it down the center and passed me a small wedge.

It. Was. Perfect.

Super juicy. Great, fresh texture. Amazing flavor.

Screw the chilly fall like temps. I was making on of my favorites: Watermelon Lemonade Sorbet.

If spending my high school years in Columbus, Ohio was good for anything it exposed me to the nations best ice cream shops… ever. (In my *expert* opinion.) Jeni’s, Rita’s, and Graeter’s were frequent summer night hang outs. And when watermelon anything hit any of their menu’s I had to have it.

This sorbet is inspired by those nights at the ice cream shops and uses Jeni’s technique of using corn syrup to give the sorbet the right consistency. The zing of the lemon with the coolness of the watermelon gives this treat super fresh flavor and transports me back to those summer nights… even when it is only 65 degrees.