Melon Ball Cocktail

As much as I love love love FALL, 

I find that I have to breathe into a bag if I think too hard about the short melon season. 

When we lived hundreds of miles from civilization, we would drive through Green River to get school clothes and I would bring a huge knife and some spoons.  We'd stop and load up the trunk with melons, cut several in half, scoop out the guts, and dig in. 

 We were juicy messes.  We were in heaven.  

Why isn't this melon ball cocktail in balls you ask?

Well, I can't find my baller. 

Not that baller.

It was probably used as a weapon.

A juicy, ripe melon is so sweet and luscious.  It really doesn't need any dressing up. But when you want to bump it up a notch, here's a great recipe.  The lime rind is the perfect compliment to melons, especially honeydew.  And the rum flavoring adds a touch of warm butteryness to offset all that tart.  
  

Enjoy this fresh fruit cocktail.  It's a good one.



Melon Ball Cocktail
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 t. grated lime rind (get the rind BEFORE you squeeze the juice)
1/2 t. Rum extract
6 T fresh lime juice

1 honeydew, balled
1 cantaloupe, balled
1/2 watermelon, balled
1 cup blueberries


Bring sugar and water to a boil, simmer for a few minutes.  Add lime rind.  Cool and add, lime juice and rum extract.  Chill a few hours.

Note: Any fruit works, I subbed strawberries for the watermelon, but the honeydew works especially well with the lime and rum. 


So what do you do with the melon scraps after the balls are made?

A) Get a spoon and a towel and sit down to Duck Dynasty.
B) Put in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for smoothies, mixed with Greek yogurt and frozen banana.
C) Blend up, add to some lemonade.
D) All of the above


Posted by: Rona