BAKING

FRESH, LIGHT & ‘AU NATUREL’…BASKETS A LA MELON!

2008/04/01 / 30 Comments
“Give me book, fruit, French wine, and fine weather and a little music out of doors played by someone I do not know.”
John Keats
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Basket a la Melons!! Spring is in the air!
To my delight, this month’s CLICK at Jugalbandi‘s is ‘Au Naturel’. This is my entry for one of the most inspiring foodie ‘visual’ events. It’s an eye-opener to creative photography!

Doing away with decadence, though very temporarily, it’s Spring in the air. Melons are beginning to show up here. These pretty yellow fruits are probably called cantaloupes, casabas or melons overseas, but are called ‘sarda‘ locally. Till last year, they were imported from Afghanistan & were priced quite steep. I didn’t buy them last year because I like to subscribe to the’ grown within the 100 mile radius’ way of life. I’m not completely steadfast though; will buy the odd kiwi etc.
IMG 6626Make Melons Part of Your 5 A Day Plan…

This year the prices are way more affordable because these pretty melons are being grown in nearby farms. Fresh, juicy & ever so sweet! That’s why I went & bought a couple the minute I got to know. Just helps in looking after the environment in my small way & so I tend to buy locally. I also believe that fresh produce bought locally is more nutritious & hasn’t been doused with stuff to keep ’em going for longer! Transporting, packaging, use of preservatives burden an already burdened planet which is struggling to survive. Give it a thought…eat what is seasonal & try to eat local!IMG 6614

As ‘Sustainable Table’ says…The concept of buying local is simply to buy food (or any good or service) produced, grown, or raised as close to your home as possible. With industrialization, our food is now grown and processed in fewer and fewer locations, meaning it has to travel further to reach the average consumer’s refrigerator. Although this method of production is considered efficient and economically profitable for large agribusiness corporations, it is harmful to the environment, consumers and rural communities.
IMG 6626 1Sarda…or Melon

Muskmelon (Cucumis melo) is a species of melon that has been developed into many cultivated varieties. These include smooth skinned varietes, such as honeydew, and different netted cultivars known as cantaloupes. It is an accessory fruit of a type that botanists call a false berry. It was first cultivated more than 4000 years ago in Persia and Africa.
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Samarkand melon vendor in the 1910s (Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

Melons are generally rich in vitamin C and also contain moderate levels of Potassium, Vitamin A and Folate. While they are mostly consumed around the world as raw fruits, melons are known to be cooked, pickled and preserved.


Nothing much to what I did…no cooking, baking etc.

collage

  • I just cut the melon in a zig–zag manner across the centre with a sharp steak knife. You can draw a light line with the knife if you like; I did it extempore.
  • Then I took a sharp smaller knife & gently cut out the flesh of the melon & chopped it up. Be careful you don’t puncture the outer skin.
  • Tossed the cut melon pieces with craisins, walnuts, kiwi, grapes. Actually, that’s all I had. For those who have access to colourful fruit, this would look lovely with oranges, berries, strawberries, cherries, watermelon etc too. You can use the melon baller for fun round shapes too. Top it off with fresh mint.
  • I plaited some lemongrass stalks into handles for the baskets. (I have some growing in the far end of my garden). Secured them to the sides with wooden picks…& I was ready to go!

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I got them ready for the kids afternoon snack…they were thrilled to see them. Even though the son doesn’t enjoy the taste of melons, he polished off the smaller basket because it looked like fun! The daughter on the other hand relished each morsel, using wooden picks as a fork, & asked if she could have another basket! She said she felt like she was on a tropical island !! PHEW…I just sliced up the other melon for her the 2nd time round as the baskets took quite a while!!

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This would make a nice picnic centre-piece…

…& seems like just the thing to send to Monthly Mingles where the chosen topic is Spring Fruit Sensations.MM SpringFruitSensationsThe event is the brainchild of Meeta @ What’s For Lunch Honey…a delightful concept which has been thoroughly enjoyed by foodies across the blogosphere. This month onwards, it’s been passed on to different hosts & this times host is Abby of Eat The Right Stuff. In her words…”One of the things I love about blogging is the inspiration it provides me with. However, inspiration is only half the story. taking that exciting spark of an idea and turning it into something on the plate in front of me, is the real challenge. “

My thoughts are quite the same…the inspiration is untold!

Posted by Deeba @ PAB

About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.

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30 Comments

  • Passionate baker...& beyond

    2008/04/01 at 7:16 am Reply

    Hey Manggy…they say you are what you eat! But nuts are good for you…they say walnut halves look like the brain;& are good brain food! I thought my kids were picky…hmmm! How’re you doing post vacation dear fellow?
    Thanks for stopping by Ovenhaven…

  • Passionate baker...& beyond

    2008/04/01 at 7:16 am Reply

    Hey Manggy…they say you are what you eat! But nuts are good for you…they say walnut halves look like the brain;& are good brain food! I thought my kids were picky…hmmm! How’re you doing post vacation dear fellow?
    Thanks for stopping by Ovenhaven…

  • Ben

    2008/04/01 at 12:15 pm Reply

    Lovely basket, I’d have to take pictures of it from any angle before eating it. I can taste the melon with the nuts and the kiwis. How delicious!

  • Purnima

    2008/04/01 at 1:38 pm Reply

    Loved ur melon-baskets, beautifully done! For a moment I thought this was your entry for Jugalbandi! Clashing title! Yumm basket!

  • Dhanggit

    2008/04/01 at 2:41 pm Reply

    oh deeba, you always leave me breathless and speechless with your work of art!! cant wait to try this with provencal melon this summer!!

    btw, im glad you like my choco molten recipe 🙂

  • Astra Libris

    2008/04/01 at 3:26 pm Reply

    Oh my goodness – not only are your melon baskets incredibly, stunningly beautiful, but to top it all off, you quoted Keats! Keats is hands down my favorite poet – you just made my day!

  • Rosie

    2008/04/01 at 5:10 pm Reply

    This is so beautiful Deeba and I just love all those bright colours with your amazing melon baskets!

    Rosie x

  • Pooja

    2008/04/01 at 5:50 pm Reply

    that’s absolutely stunning . wonderful work and presentations. It takes much time & patiences to do this , hats of to your creativity girl.

  • Abby

    2008/04/01 at 7:30 pm Reply

    deeba, they look wonderful – you’re very creative! thanks for sharing this with the monthly mingle.

  • Ivy

    2008/04/01 at 9:15 pm Reply

    You are so creative Deeba. I wouldn’t have the patience to do all that stuff. Your family is lucky to have you. It’s very early for melons in our part of the world. Good luck for the event.

  • Roopa

    2008/04/02 at 2:52 pm Reply

    Fantastic presentation! Lovely post:) I too love vegetable carving though I am not good at it 🙂 Very creative !

  • Astra Libris

    2008/04/02 at 5:17 pm Reply

    Oh my, now you made my day two days in a row! 🙂 Thank you so much for your incredibly kind comment and generous words… Coming from you with your very inspiring, incredibly beautiful blog (which I am so glad I have now discovered so I can come back and read frequently 🙂 they are especially treasured… Thank you!

  • familiabencomo

    2008/04/02 at 9:54 pm Reply

    You are SOOO amazing! Too back I have to see all of your creations via the internet. I might just have to find an excuse to fly to India…. I’ll let you know what I come up with.

    xoxox Amy

  • Mike of Mike's Table

    2008/04/04 at 3:53 pm Reply

    For something so “simple,” this is a truly fantastic presentation. Beautiful work! 😀

  • Sunshinemom

    2008/04/05 at 6:40 am Reply

    I don’t like melons but I wouldn’t mind some of what you have created…going by its looks! Beautiful!

  • Purnima

    2008/04/07 at 5:08 am Reply

    Deeba, u sure know to add glamour into anything u lay ur hands upon! Gr8 entry for CLICK!!

Thank you so much for stopping by. I'd love to hear from you.

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