The Carlsbad Village Yoga studio did it again! Now in its 15th year, the annual Carlsbad Watermelon Festival took place on Sunday, Sept. 13, to the delight of over 50 yoga teachers and students, along with guests.
For many years, Carlsbad Village Yoga director Candy Cahill and her talented teaching staff have planned and carried off the festival together with the help of many friends. But last year, Candy got married! So this September, she and her new husband, Derek, coordinated many of the activities with the core staff.
Candy and Derek Cahill have combined their creative efforts to form My Farm Foundation, which is a community-focused nonprofit organization that engages the public through school gardens, community events and food-sharing festivals. Derek explained, “Our goal is to educate the public about the importance of creating accessibility to healthy food to all North County residents.”
This year, the festival focused on food-related themes, with watermelon as the star, prepared a dozen ways. The Master Gardener demonstration table provided seed-starting supplies and tips on growing vegetables from seed, as well as starting a backyard or balcony vegetable garden.
Old standbys
Each year, Carlsbad Village Yoga staff offer activities for the entire family, and this year, Dianna Stein created an arts activity table with a watermelon theme. Beth Van Derwerken stumped all the spelling bee contestants with the final standoff over the spelling of the word “whippoorwill.”
No one seemed to know what a whippoorwill was until the final contestant came through. I guess a bunch of city slickers had never heard that distinctive nighttime call of the Midwestern male bird singing his hours-long mating call, “whip-poor-will, whip-poor-will!”
Candy came through making her favorite watermelon cotton candy for kids and adults and mixed up a slew of nonalcoholic watermelon cocktail spritzers, and Pizza Port provided the beer. She remarked, “We are just so happy that everyone takes part in the Watermelon Festival. It’s our gift to the community of yoga lovers and their friends and family. Fifteen years and going strong!”
Sascha and her SAS band filled the afternoon with old favorites and newly composed tunes.
Watermelon so many ways
As always, the food table theme was watermelon, and true to form, a vast array of homemade specialties filled the serving table. Watermelon salad, watermelon spritzers and the surprise of them all — an old-fashioned watermelon rind relish. If you would like to try your hand at this Southern specialty for your next barbecue, here is the recipe.
Gingered watermelon rinds
From “Cold Canning Cookbook,” by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough.
Ingredients
- 1 pound watermelon rind (peel off the green outer layer and remove the red flesh), cut into 1½-inch cubes to total 4 cups
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced, peeled fresh ginger
Directions
- Toss the cubed rind and salt in a large bowl until all the bits are coated.
- Drain the cubes in a colander set in the sink. Rinse repeatedly in cool water to remove some of the salt. Continue shaking to remove water.
- Pour the cubes into a large saucepan and add enough water to cover them by 2 inches. Set pan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Drain the cubes again in the same colander and rinse to stop cooking.
- Stir the sugar, vinegar and ginger in the same saucepan set over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a full boil, stirring occasionally. Add the rind cubes and bring back to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until tender, about 12 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the burner. Set aside at room temperature until cool to the touch.
- Divide the rind and syrup between four-pint Mason jars, leaving headspace. Cover and seal. Refrigerate at least two days before serving.
To contact Carlsbad Village Yoga studio, call 760-529-2767 or visit the studio at 390 Oake Ave., Carlsbad.
Jano Nightingale is a Master Gardener and horticulturist and teaches vegetable gardening at the Carlsbad Senior Center. Contact her at [email protected] for her latest schedule and for garden consultations.
