Watermelon Punch!

Alright campers! Gather ‘round! It’s time for this week’s cooking lesson: Watermelon punch!

No, Micah, we are not going to punch the watermelons. Calm down.

This is just a nice, easy recipe that you could even make at home with your families if you want. The first thing we’re going to do is–yes, Maggie, do you have a question?

Yes, the whole thing is gluten free. There’s no wheat in it.

Yes, I’m very sure. There are only three ingredients, and none of them contain–one second Martin–none of them contain wheat.

Thank you for waiting, Martin. What was your question?

You can add milk, but you don’t have to. Watermelon Punch is perfectly delicious all on its own. Cream is just an extra bit you can add if you want. It’s not required. Yours will not have cream in it.

Yes, I remember you’re lactose intolerant. That’s why yours won’t have cream in it.

Does anyone have any other questions before we get started?

Yes, Mila, you will get to drink the punch when it’s done.

Any other questions?

No?

Okay, here we go.

This first part is the messy bit–yes, I can tell none of you are looking forward to it at all–we’re going to mash up our watermelon.

Scoop your watermelon away from the rind, and pick out all the seeds–yes, Mindy, you can plant them if you want to. Just maybe wait until after today’s cooking lesson, okay?

Once all the seeds are out, fill your cup about halfway with watermelon chunks and use the back of the spoon to mash them up. Like this:

I like your enthusiasm Mateo, just try to keep the watermelon inside the cup. We can’t use it if it falls on the ground.

The five-second rule does not apply to wet things, Mila. We talked about this.

Make sure you mash your watermelon into a pulp to get all the juices out! Otherwise you’re just going to have chunks of watermelon floating in soda.

If you like chunky punch you don’t have to mash it as much, Makayla. There will be chunks even when it's mashed, don't worry. You can only get chunkless punch with a blender.

Marshal…Marshal. The bee is just curious about the watermelon. You can ignore it or move to another spot, but don’t swat at it. Swatting at bees makes them angry.

Okay, campers! Our watermelons are looking lovely and mashed, so it’s time for the next step: adding the ice!

Marshal, don’t swat at the–

Thank you for volunteering to walk Marshal to the nurses station, Marco. That’s very caring and responsible of you. The nurse will get him all sorted out.

No, Micah, he’s not going to die, it’s just a bee sting. He’s not allergic. He’s fine.

Oh, Mai, I’m so sorry that you got stung by a bee once, too. When you were three? Wow! It was in a flower? Bees do like flowers a lot, don’t they?

You know, campers, I think we should save our bee sting stories for a little bit later. Right now, let’s get our punch all mixed together!

First you're going to take some ice cubes and fill your cup at least halfway up with ice. You can add more if you really like ice.

Next, pour the soda over the ice to fill up your cup. If you want to add cream, leave some room at the top. Otherwise, you can fill it all the way up. Then, give your punch a quick stir with your spoon to mix everything together!

Molly, I meant like, fill it full, not all the way to the brim. Take a sip of that before you try to stir it, okay? A bigger sip than–

Thank you for getting the paper towels for us, Malachi. Yes, you are very responsible.

That’s it! We’re all done! You made your very own watermelon punch! Now you can–one second, Martin–now you can take some time to enjoy what you've made!

Yes, Martin?

Those were all the steps. You’re done! You can drink it now!

I know, normally cooking class takes longer, but today is a fun, short one.

That’s a great word, Mateo! I think it’s very refreshing, too!

It does taste like summer, Maggie! What a lovely observation!

Don’t worry, Molly. I’ll mix some up for Marshal and Marco so they can have it when they get back. They won't miss out.

Yes, Mila, you can make another one if you want. We have plenty of watermelon left. Wow, you sure drank that fast!

No, campers, we are not going to race drinking carbonated beverages. That’s not a good idea. Please don’t–

Thank you for getting paper towels for us, Malachi.