Watermelon and mint - have your bowl and eat it too!

Before the watermelon season is over, try this creative serving idea with peaches and mint!  Watermelon is, as you would assume, mostly … water, and weighs in at only 46 calories per cup, which is mostly sugar.  A good sweet watermelon doesn't necessarily need anything to improve it, but this combination with peaches, berries and mint really hit the spot tonight.  The mint especially made the taste of the peaches and watermelon pop!

Mint comes in 600 varieties, but the two that we're most familiar with are peppermint and spearmint.  Peppermint is used mostly in the form of oil in sweet treats, like candy or ice cream; spearmint, which you can find in the produce section of the supermarket with other fresh spices, is more savory.  It is used in certain Indian dishes, and a favorite of mine, Thai green curry paste, as well as in mojitos with tequila and citrus.

Mint is rich in menthol, which makes you aware of the cold receptors in your mouth and on your skin.  You may be familiar with this from the cool sensation from mouthwashes or the icy sensation of Vicks VapoRub.  It was often added to cigarettes; we now know it decreases the cough reflex, so it enabled, and with its cool taste encouraged, more people to smoke cigarettes.  It has been used to treat gastrointestinal symptoms.  By relaxing the muscles of the GI tract, it eases bloating, cramping, and bowel irregularities.  One caution though, is that by relaxing the muscles, can sometimes worsen heartburn and reflux.

Here's a creative fruit bowl creation for a summer day.

Ingredients:
1 watermelon
Mixed fruits to fill 1/2 the melon:
blueberries
strawberries
peaches
kiwi

2 Tbsp fresh mint, sliced thinly

Directions:
First, cut a thin slice off of the long side of the melon. This will prevent the melon from rolling once it is filled.

Then cut the melon in half.  If you'd like to make a basket shape leave a handle intact across the
top.  You can make a stroller by leaving half of the top intact.

Then, scoop out the watermelon with a melon or ice cream scooper.  Let the empty melon drain
upside down for a few hours if possible.  Refrigerate the melon balls.

Meanwhile, cut up any other fruits - I used white and yellow peaches, berries and kiwi. Add fresh
squeezed OJ just to coat the peaches and keep them from turning dark.  Refrigerate.

When you're ready to serve, combine the melon, other fruit and toss with mint.  Fill the basket - and
you're done!