Shooting Watermelon Seeds

Family gatherings are one of a Southerner's favorite past times.  Be it a pot luck meal or banquet fit for a king, when it comes time to gather family and friends for fun and fellowship, we're all in.  Our family is no different.  Be it birthday, holiday, or family reunion, ours follows the Southern tradition with zeal.

In our family, every meal begins with the blessing.  Sweet tea is poured, and the bowls passed around.  It’s a time of telling stories, swapping gossip, and sharing the events of the day.  When the meal is finished, the dishes are cleared, and the dessert comes out.  No meal in the South is properly completed until you “end it on something sweet”.  In cold weather, that usually means pies and cakes of some sort (or our beloved Banana Pudding, but that's a story for another day).  Likely as not, it’s Great Aunt So-and-So's recipe that has been passed down through the generations... and always, that recipe comes with a story.  On the hot days, it often means going outside and making homemade ice cream, or cutting a watermelon.

Making homemade ice cream is a ritual all unto itself. Every family has their favorite recipe, and every member has their favorite flavor. There’s banana, peach, strawberry, vanilla... the list goes on and on. Whether we use the modern-day electric churns, or the old-fashioned hand crank churn, the process is pretty much the same... the ice cream is churned until it’s frozen so hard the motor or hand crank can’t turn anymore, then it’s packed with ice, wrapped in old towels or burlap bags and left to sit for a time while the ice cream hardens a bit more.  Sometimes this part was done before the meal, so that the ice cream is ready to eat as soon as the meal is finished. The “women folk” were in charge of mixing up the ingredients for the ice cream, but the churning was the job of the “men folk” and the kids.

Come “watermelon season”, we’re just as enthusiastic.  We choose our melons with care, “thumping” them for the hollow sound that indicates ripeness.  The melon is sliced, and passed around.  Salt is a necessity when watermelon is served here in the South.  Most of us can’t eat watermelon without it.  Some folks prefer scooping out the red, drippy goodness with a spoon, carefully pulling out the seeds, while others don’t stand on such ceremony, and just take a mouthful and spit the seeds on the ground.  No matter how we eat it, having a slice is another cool respite from the summer heat, and comes with an added bonus.

It's OK to play with your food if you're eating watermelon.  Yes, I'm talking about the seeds.  Likely as not, it would start with Grandmother “shooting” a seed at one of us kids. Spitting seeds, other than on the ground, was seen as “unseemly” in our family, so we’d shoot them instead.  “Shooting” watermelon seeds takes a bit of practice and skill.  The seeds have a slick casing on them when they come straight out of the melon.  If you put one between forefinger and thumb, and squeeze juuuust right, it will shoot out surprisingly far sometimes.  It’s fairly simple, but can require some finesse.  Press on the back of the seed first, and then move toward the front, all in one swift move. It doesn't actually hurt to get hit with a seed, but it usually does stick to your skin or clothes.

Whether having a slice of cake or pie, having a bowl of homemade ice cream, or sharing a watermelon... this continues to be just another one of those ways we end the day in the most natural way we know how... enjoying each other's company, talking over the day's events, laughing and having a bit of fun.

The South is a place of family, friends, traditions, and a sincere caring for our neighbors and environment.  We depend on each to give us an anchor in life, and treasure them all to our very core. 

Come sit a spell... put your feet up... laugh a little and let your worries and cares fall away. We’ll offer you a glass of sweet tea, and on a warm summer evening, a bowl of ice cream or a slice of watermelon.