Watermelon shows up at peak season in July — cheap, abundant, and usually served exactly one way: sliced into wedges and eaten off a paper towel. That’s a fine way to eat it, but it’s also leaving money and flavor on the table (or rather, in the trash, since most people toss the rind and any melon that goes soft before it’s finished).
Here’s how to get more meals out of one melon.
Why watermelon is worth building meals around right now
- It’s cheap when it’s in season. July is peak watermelon season in most of the U.S., which typically means lower per-pound prices than the rest of the year (check your store’s current pricing — this varies by region and week).
- It’s mostly water, which makes it a natural fit for hot-weather meals that don’t require turning on the oven.
- The whole melon is usable — flesh, juice, and even the rind — so a single melon can stretch across several meals instead of one snack.
Don’t waste the rind
The white part of the rind is edible and often gets thrown away. Two low-effort options:
- Quick-pickled rind: peel off the green skin, cube the white rind, and pickle in a simple vinegar-sugar-salt brine for a tangy, crunchy topping for tacos or sandwiches.
- Stir-fried rind: thinly slice and stir-fry with garlic and a splash of soy sauce, similar to how you’d cook a firm summer squash.
Using the rind means less of what you paid for ends up in the trash.
This week, buy one watermelon and make it work harder.
Plan it with DinnerTime
Search in your DinnerTime Recipe Box and add watermelon recipes to your DinnerTime Meal Planner and the app builds your shopping list automatically, matched to what’s on sale at your store — so a single melon can turn into a salad, a drink, and a grilled side across the week instead of one bowl of slices.