Make these darling watermelon trees for parties, picnics, BBQs, lunch boxes and everyday fun. My kids love the little handle and that they are eating a “tree.” It is easy to cut wedges of watermelon into trees and actually makes it easier to eat!
In 2011 I helped my mother-in-law with food prep for a backyard wedding and she taught me how to make these lovely watermelon trees. I’ve been making them for church picnics and my own back yard parties ever since. Making watermelon trees has become my #1 answer to the “how to cut up a watermelon” question! Easy, fast and practical (but still super cute)!
My kids think it is extra special when I cut those extra two pieces of rind off so they can have a watermelon tree! I also find it handy for parties and other events where people are using trash cans that fill up fast. There is only 1/3 of the usual rind to deal with! VERY handy!
How to Cut Watermelon Trees
It is easy to cut watermelon trees and will only take a moment! Start by using a large chef’s knife to slice a 1″ thick round slice off of your melon.
Lay the round slice of melon flat on your cutting board. Next cut the watermelon into triangles.
How to Cut a Watermelon Into Triangles
Cut the round of melon in half from top to bottom and again from side to side. Now you have 4 quarters.
Cut each of those quarters in half one more time and you will have 8 triangles of watermelon. Easy!!!
Take each triangle of watermelon and cut the rind on the left and right off to leave a “tree stump” in the middle. This stump is the handle for kiddos (and adults!) to hold unto while they munch the sweet treat!
How to Pick Out a Watermelon
Picking out a great melon is fairly easy to do. There are four simple things I do to find a sweet, juicy melon.
- Look for any little black spots. This is a place where sugar is seeping out and that indicates a sweet melon!
- A good watermelon (big or small) should feel HEAVY for its size! A light melon is not a good one.
- Look for the yellow spot. This is where the watermelon was resting on the ground in a field. Choose a watermelon where the this “field spot” is a nice creamy yellow. A more white spot indicates a melon that didn’t get to ripen in the field.
- Last, give that melon a good old thump! You are looking for a “hollow” sound.
Summertime Kid Food
I have found that giving my kids lots of chances to have fun food outside makes their summer more special. Kids find lots of joy in simple things! I try to frequently encourage outdoor picnics on the deck and lots of watermelon tree snacks in the shade of the playhouse!
My kids LOVE to get to enjoy watermelon trees outside.
My kids love sweet, summer watermelon no matter how I cut it up but the trees are a favorite. For whatever reason it seems extra special to them!
They can eat POUNDS of watermelon – enough that I want to grow a field of them! (Watermelon not kids – that would be a LOT of kids!)
I am their mother but I think it is pretty much the cutest thing ever…
I almost want to keep track of the number of watermelons my kids eat this summer! I’m betting they will eat their own weight in melon by the end of the summer!
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