Horned melon

I took the kids to Kroger today, which always takes longer and costs me more than if they're not with me, but it's a great educational opportunity.  And it can be just plain fun if I don't rush it and ruin it.  So we're strolling along in the produce section when Noah spies the weirdest looking piece of produce I've ever seen.  Of course, he says, "Mom, what is THAT?" and we all go closer to read the label. It's a New Zealand Horned Melon, right there in the middle of Illinois.  Sarah says, "I LOVE New Zealand Horned Melon!  Can we get one?"  I was just about to say no, because this tiny dangerous-looking thing is $3.49, but I caught myself just in time and turned it into a yes.  Instead of thinking of it as a ridiculously expensive piece of fruit, I decided to think of it as a really cheap science experiment.  Once I made the mental shift, it was much easier to buy it.

So we got it home, washed it, sniffed it, poked at it, and finally cut it in half.  We were surprised to find that it was green inside, and filled with a bunch of seeds that looked edible.

I dug a spoon in it and tried it first to see if it was poisonous.  It was nasty.  It tasted sort of like a really sour banana.  Sarah wouldn't try it, but Noah did. He said it was ok, but I noticed he didn't go back for more.

There it sat, cut in half on the counter for two hours while I thought about what I was going to do with it.  I scooped out the goop, put it in a bowl, and wondered what could be done with it.

Finally I decided to put it in the blender with some milk, other fruit, and the leftover raspberry sherbet we've had for months, and turn it into a smoothie.  It was really good!  I was reaching for a cup to pour it in when I realized that its own horned orange shell was rather attractive, so I just poured it right in there.

I froze the leftovers into popsicles.  I won't tell Sarah what's in them.