Make: Watermelon Swords

Watermelon is the fruit emblem of summer: refreshing, hydrating, crunchy, sweet. When it comes to food, I only write about easy things—it's my personal goal to spend the least amount of time possible prepping food. My favorite way to tackle a watermelon used to be to cut it in half and scoop out bites with a spoon. While this remains a wonderfully easy way to enjoy the fruit, I have a new favorite way to tackle the oval beast of summer, introduced to me by my friend Leslie.

Watermelon Swords

1. Slice a watermelon in half, through the center.

2. Take one half of the melon and place it on a cutting board, flat side down.

3. Using a long, sharp knife, slice the melon like a checkerboard. Make long, straight cuts about 1.5 inches apart, then rotate the melon a quarter turn and do the same thing, making perpendicular cuts. With a gigantic watermelon like the one I conquered last night, this will take muscle.

4. Your watermelon swords are ready! Call everyone over and invite them to draw a sword from the stone. Sit back and watch their delight, until it's time to slice up the second half.

Tips for selecting the best watermelon ever:

• Pick it up, it should feel heavy for its size.
• Look for the yellow spot. Watermelons develop a mark where they rest on the ground, the melon is ripe when this mark is creamy yellow.
• Make sure to buy seedless.