Farmers Market Favorite Watermelon Summer Salad

This month as the Guest Chef of the Cedar Park and Mueller Farmers Markets, I had the support of scads of budding sous chefs, as we combined the Guest Chef Demo with their monthly Market Sprouts! activity, and a big, happy salad was prepared.

You can find the complete recipe by visiting Texas Farmers Market Recipes.

We had a few stations working all at once to combine efforts, and ingredients into one sweet marriage of the season's finest:

• We had chefs digging in-- creating perfectly pleasing bites of these watermelons, donated by Tecolote Farm at the Cedar Park Market, and by Johnson's Backyard Garden at the Mueller Market.
• We had chefs chopping San Saba Homemade pecans with the assistance of a handheld grinder.
• We had chefs shredding Bernhardt's Farm fresh basil with the assistance of kiddie scissors
• We had chefs crumbling Pure Luck Goat Feta, drizzling Round Rock Honey, and dribbling Texas Hill Country Olive Co's Balsamic Vinegar.
• And we had a bigger chef, namely me, mincing sweet onions and cucumbers with the big chef's knife, giving hints and suggestions, and giggling with her "staff" of talented helpers.

Market Sprout chefs learned that an entire meal could be prepared that included no meat, was exclusively sourced from the farmers and vendors of these local markets, and that many fruits and vegetables that are in season at the same time, complement each other well.  

They may have learned that laughter was the sweetest ingredient when cooking with friends. They may have learned that working together gets the job done well. And they may have had as much fun as this former elementary school teacher, whose newest classroom for the day was particularly meaningful.

Thank you, Market Sprouts!  You did a GREAT JOB!

And if watermelon is your thing, you might enjoy a few more Watermelon Ways for these Watermelon Days, you'll find by following the links, below.

Watermelon Chevre Pistachio Salad with Rosewater

Watermelon Rose Lassi

Williams-Sonoma Watermelon Margarita

"The true Southern watermelon is a boon apart, and not to be mentioned with commoner things. It is chief of this world's luxuries, king by the grace of God over all the fruits of the earth. When one has tasted it, he knows what the angels eat. It was not a Southern watermelon that Eve took; we know it because she repented."

Mark Twain (1835-1910)