Melon Balls with Poppy Seed Dressing

Labor Day weekend again. End of summer. Made a big cookout Saturday — everything on the grill, the farewell feast. Smoked sausages and peppers. Burgers and dogs. Corn. Watermelon. The whole family except Amber and James who are in Louisville building their life, which is what newly married people do and which I support by not calling more than twice a week, which Connie says is still too much and I say is the minimum required by law.

Clay and Sarah were there, sitting together on the porch, her feet in his lap, a posture so casual and domestic and normal that it took my breath away because normal is not what Clay has been for four years and normal sitting on a porch with a woman's feet in your lap is the most extraordinary kind of normal there is. Connie caught my eye across the yard. She nodded. I nodded. The nod that means: we see this. We see our son being okay. We see the girl from Whitesburg with her feet in his lap and we see the ease of it and we are going to nod at each other and not say anything because saying it might break it, and this is too good to break.

Pulled the tomato cages next morning. Garden winding down. Another season ending. Another fall beginning. I stood in the garden and said thank you, same as last year. Connie didn't overhear this time but I said it anyway because the garden doesn't need an audience for the thanking. The garden just needs the thanks.

We always put out a whole watermelon at these things — half the time it goes faster than the burgers, and this year was no different. Watching Clay on that porch, relaxed and easy in a way I hadn’t seen in four years, I kept thinking the whole day deserved something a little more dressed up than a quartered melon on a folding table. Next time I’m doing it right: proper melon balls, a real dressing, something that says the end of summer is worth celebrating, not just surviving.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes (plus 30 minutes chilling) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

4 cups watermelon balls (from about 1/2 small watermelon)
3 cups cantaloupe balls (from about 1 medium cantaloupe)
3 cups honeydew melon balls (from about 1/2 medium honeydew)
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, torn, for garnish
Poppy Seed Dressing:
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as avocado or light olive oil)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of ground ginger (optional)

Instructions

Scoop the melon. Using a melon baller, scoop the watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew into uniform balls. Place them together in a large serving bowl. (No melon baller? Cut into 1-inch cubes — it works just fine.)
Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the honey, lime juice, oil, apple cider vinegar, poppy seeds, salt, and ginger if using. Whisk until the honey is fully incorporated and the dressing emulsifies slightly.
Dress and toss. Pour the dressing over the melon balls and toss gently to coat. Taste and adjust — more lime if you want brightness, more honey if the melon isn’t at peak sweetness.
Chill. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The dressing settles into the melon and the flavors come together as it rests.
Garnish and serve. Just before serving, scatter torn fresh mint over the top. Serve cold, straight from the bowl.

Nutrition (per serving)

Melon Balls with Poppy Seed Dressing — The Watermelon Was Just the Beginning