Juicin’ It Up!

My neighbor recently said, “Your husband is always right.” And I agreed. He is.

No matter what the subject, issue or concern, he is generally spot-on. It’s just one of his many talents. And I tend to find that quite irritating, so anytime I have the opportunity, I try and prove he’s not right. This added responsibility keeps me on my toes and on ready alert.

A few months ago, I bought a Breville juicer and used it religiously. For 10 days. And then, boom. Nada. The thrill was gone. I was over “it.” Well, not really, because I love the juice but it’s a lot of work to clean the machine and you always need to have a wide assortment of produce on hand. Needless to say, the juicer has been sitting on our kitchen counter since those early days waiting for the next big hurrah!

On occasion, David will say (scented with plenty of sarcasm, of course), “You sure are getting a lot of use out of that juicer you had to have!” To prove him wrong, I decided to put the juicer to use. (Note: I also  owe a bit of gratitude to the September issue of Food & Wine which arrived in the mail this week. There is a nice spread on the hottest juice bars across the country as well as a few recipes.)

What else could I have done with the 23 lb. watermelon that was also taking up lots of space on the kitchen counter? With the rains we had in mid-July, the melons soaked up the water and became a bit mealy but were still good.

Half of the 23 lb. watermelon

Since I do value the benefits of juicing, the best way to deal with this whopping watermelon was to juice it! I added some cucumber and lime and it accomplished exactly what I set out to do.

I got rid of the watermelon. I used my juicer (which seems to have hushed my husband for a while). And I had so much juice that I was able to share some with a neighbor as well as a friend.

Though the juice is similar to agua de sandia (a typical drink in Mexico that is made with watermelon), there is no added sugar in this juice recipe as in aguas frescas and I like that. Add a few cucumbers to balance the sweetness and limes for a little zing and it created the perfect balance of sweet-refreshing-tart that goes down easy during days where the temperatures are over 100 degrees!

Buen provecho!

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Watermelon-Cucumber-Lime Juice

Juicing is a great alternative to eating a meal, but this juice is more of a summer treat on a hot day. The combination of watermelon, cucumber and lime are terrific. Add a few glugs of vodka, tequila or even rum and you're set with a lovely adult beverage. Just be sure and remember that there is plenty of sugar in the watermelon juice, so don't over do it.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword agua fresca, watermelon

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 1 quart

Author The Cowgirl Gourmet

Ingredients

• 8 lbs. of watermelon rind removed and cubed in large chunks (but small enough to fit in your juicer)
• 1 cucumber organic, rinsed and ends cut off
• 1 lime quartered and peeled

Instructions

1. To the juicer, add smaller items first (lime and cucumber) and then add the watermelon. Be careful to watch the juice collector so it doesn't overflow--there will be a lot of "foam."
2. Once the juicing is complete, remove the foam, stir the juice to combine the flavors and pour in a glass with ice or refrigerate to chill.