While it puts some labor into Labor Day, you can carve a true work of art from a watermelon, and it’s a fun project.

The National Watermelon Promotion Board is here to help you, with almost 60 carved watermelon designs to inspire your fruit artistry. Beyond the conventional basket filled with fruit salad, there are:

 
There are more, of course, including lovely basket designs and holiday-themed watermelon boats: Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, etc.

Take some of that watermelon flesh and rind and make yummy watermelon relish. Use it to top burgers and hot dogs, mix it with yogurt for a dip, mix it with mayonnaise for a sandwich spread.

Ingredients

Preparation

1. MIX rind with 2-1/2 cups water and 2 tablespoons salt. Let stand covered at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse well.

2. COMBINE in medium saucepan the sugar, 3/4 cup water, 2 teaspoons salt, the lemon zest and juice, cinnamon and cloves. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the rind and cook gently for about 40 minutes or until the rind is translucent and tender (do not boil hard as mixture might caramelize). When done, remove from heat and cool.

3. MIX in the diced watermelon.

Makes 3/4 of a quart. The watermelon relish will keep refrigerated for 4 days.
  

If you’ve got nuts and honey, you can take the duo one step further:

Combine them into a delicious bread spread and dessert topping, as people in Greece, Italy and elsewhere in the Mediterranean have been doing for thousands of years.

You can find jars of honey with nuts at stores that specialize in Greek and Italian foods, or in cheese shops. They are lovely gifts and stocking stuffers.

RECIPE: NUTS & HONEY

Ingredients

†If you’re making this for home use, you can recycle an empty jar. If it’s for a gift, look for a prettier jar.

Preparation

1. TOAST nuts in a hot, dry pan, keeping them moving until the aroma wafts up (how to toast nuts). Cool.

2. LAYER the nuts and honey in a clean jar. The nuts may migrate to the top of the jar, but you can easily stir them prior to use.
 

VARIATIONS

If you like the combination, try different variations: sage honey with walnuts, orange blossom honey with almonds, and so on.

 
How would you use honey and nuts?
  

Make a couscous salad. Here’s another delicious end-of-the-summer idea from a very delicious blog, Stasty. Thanks, Vicky!

The pecorino cheese and salami strips add an Italian twist.
 
 
RECIPE: COUSCOUS SALAD WITH GRILLED
PEACHES

Ingredients

Preparation

1. COOK the couscous. Shave Pecorino with a vegetable peeler.

2. CUT the peach and apricot into segments and remove the stones. Brush with melted butter.

3. HEAT a grill pan over high heat. Using tongs, place the fruit segments on the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, then turn and grill the other side. Once the fruit is nicely marked by the grill, remove it with tongs and set aside on a plate.

4. MIX the vinegar and olive oil in a small bowl; add salt and pepper to taste.

5. MIX the the cooked couscous with the finely chopped chives, strips of salami and shaved Pecorino. Pour the dressing over the couscous and mix together with a fork. Place the couscous in a large serving dish and place the grilled stone fruit on top.

Serve with a crisp white wine.

Pecorino cheese and strips of salami add an Italian twist. Photo courtesy Stasty.com.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Ingredients For Four Pockets

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F/175°C.

2. DIVIDE crescent roll dough into rectangles on ungreased cookie sheets. Do not separate at the diagonal perforations. (Try pinching the diagonal perforation together to make a solid piece of dough).

3. MIX the ground beef together with the onion, salt, pepper, and paprika, in a medium mixing bowl.

4. PLACE ¼ cup of the beef mixture onto each crescent sheet; top with your pickles or jalapeños. Stretch dough over meat.

5. BAKED in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve with a ramekin of ketchup for dipping.
 
 
ABOUT STEAKHOUSE ELITE

Steakhouse Elite produces American-raised Wagyu beef products that are known for their velvety texture and buttery flavor.

For more information, visit the company website.
  

The Pink Pearl apple is an apple cultivar developed in 1944 from Surprise, another red-fleshed apple, by Albert Etter, a northern California breeder. It has distinctive pink flesh beneath translucent, pearly yellow skin. As with blood oranges, the skin can develop a pink blush.

Pink Pearls are harvested in August through mid-September, and don’t last long in storage; they’re a summer apple. Check at farmers markets to see if you can find them; or grow your own: Buy a tree from TreesOfAntiquity.com.

The crisp flesh is tart to sweet-tart. Enjoy them as a hand fruit bake them, especially in tarts where their pink color will be a standout.