Watermelons, rockmelons and honeydews

In the December 2010 issue of Burke’s Backyard magazine, on sale Monday, November 22, our ‘Kitchen Garden’ feature is all about how to grow watermelons, rockmelons and honeydews. If you have some space to spare in a big garden, these plants will cover lots of ground in no time at all! It’s the perfect time to sow some seed, or plant seedlings, so get our growing tips and get growing!

As a bonus for Don Burke’s 2UE listeners, we have a tangy and refreshing salad lunch which teams Asian flavours with prawns and watermelons.

Tracy Rutherford’s Prawn and watermelon salad with lime and chilli dressing

1/4 cup lime juice
3 teaspoons peanut oil
1 red bird’s-eye chilli, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
750g watermelon
1 small Cos lettuce, leaves torn
20 cooked prawns, peeled
2 tablespoons fresh coconut shavings

1. Combine the lime juice, peanut oil, chilli, fish sauce and brown sugar in a small screwtop jar and shake to combine.
2. Cut the rind from the watermelon, and cut the flesh into 1cm slices. Cut each slice into wedges. Arrange the watermelon, lettuce and prawns onto plates.
3. Sprinkle with coconut shaving and drizzle with the dressing. Serve immediately.
Note: fresh coconut yields lovely moist, sweet flesh but can be physically difficult to prepare. Use flaked dried coconut if you like, and lightly toast it to develop the flavour.

Copyright CTC Productions 2010