All gardeners know the hazards of not waiting long enough to pick the first watermellon of the season. It’s big. It looks great. It feels right. It makes the right “thonk” when you thump it.

But no. It’s still white inside when you cut into it! Horrors. And just when the tomatoes are going haywire too!

Somebody else had an unripe watermellon too. Looks like this.

Somebody else had an unripe watermellon too. Looks like this.

Here’s what to do.

Cut out the meat of the mellon and strain it through a tea cloth yielding fresh watermellon juice. Chill that.

The Green Watermellon Flip (a cocktail)
3 cups (or so) watermellon juice
3 oz gin
juice of 1 lime

Combine the first three ingredients over ice in a bar cup. Stir down.
Pour into a highball with huge cubes. Add 1.5 oz of super hot Ginger Beer to flip it.