Darlene's Digest

“Watermelon!” Jack said. “I don’t believe I have had any yet this season.” “What is it?” Sophia said, and the Reavers and Jack stared at her. “You ain’t never had watermelon?” Tom piped up. “No. It is a melon? But how do you eat it?” she said, eyeing the large chunks of fruit. “Show the lady, Tom.” Martha laughed. Tom grabbed a chunk off the middle of the plate and dived in headfirst, snapping off a sizable piece, chewing it with delight, and then spitting the seeds out the door. “You are joking,” Sophia said to Jack. “No, that’s how you eat watermelon. You learn this and soon you will be a real Floridian.” He was grinning at her and reached for his own slice of melon, and never one to resist a challenge, Sophia wiped her hand on her table linen and picked up her own slice. The juice ran down her fingers but she managed to bring it up to her lips without too much trickling down her sleeve. She took a bite and there was an explosion of sugar in her mouth, and a cooling sensation from t...

“Whew! This young’un’s givin’ me what-for today,” a pregnant matron complained as she straightened and rubbed the base of her back. “I’m glad it’s coolin’ off some, because I’ve had ’bout as much of summer I can handle, carryin’ this one around.” “I ate so much watermelon when I was carryin’ my Jeremiah, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had popped out spittin’ seeds,” said one lady with a grin. “That was the only good thing about bearin’ a July baby—gettin’ as much melon as I wanted. That summer I must have eaten a wagonful." --Smuggler's Bride I was blessed with an August baby a few decades back, and all that summer I craved watermelon. The sweet fruit was hydrating and full of fiber, along with plenty of vitamins. It was one pregnancy craving I didn't worry about indulging. Fortunately for me, it's a Florida crop and North Central Florida is bursting with watermelon of all varieties this time of year--heirloom, seedless, yellow-fles...