The Dog Days of Summer have arrived and all I can think is “dang it’s hot.”  Too hot to think, too hot to move, and way too hot to cook.  Just when it seemed like I was destined to starve for lack of the will power to turn on the oven, I remembered the wonder that is icy cold fresh fruit.  Now some will say that to experience the full flavor, fruit is best eaten at room temperature.  I say that when the body is swollen with heat and dripping with sweat, there is nothing quite as refreshing as a hunk of well-chilled watermelon.

I usually start craving melons around the fourth of July but with San Diego’s relatively mild summer this year, I managed to hold off until the end of August before buying my first melon of the season.  I was cruising the Farmers’ Market as I often do, trying to decide between some Valencia Oranges, and Ruby Grapefruit, when the vendor placed a container full of freshly cut, lusciously pink watermelon slices on the table in front of me.  With a smile and a nod, I helped myself to a piece, and immediately forgot all about the citrus fruit.  “I’ll take one,” I said, “small enough for two people if you have it.”  The vendor chuckled and dug through the pile looking for just the right one for me.

I brought home my melon (and a bag of oranges, and some fresh figs) and left it out on the counter as I set about preparing a spicy lentil dinner.  I served the melon for dessert – straight for myself, and with a little bit of salt for Phil.  It was sweet and delicious, just like the sample at the farmers market.  After we had eaten our fill, I cut the rest up in to bite sized pieces and put them in the fridge.

The next morning brought with it 90+ degree temperatures that seemed to sap the life right out of me.  I scanned the fridge looking for something to perk up my spirits and settled on the leftover watermelon.  As the cold juice filled mouth and aroused my taste buds, my motivation and energy returned.  It was way better stimulation than caffeine, and without the stinky coffee breath!

Throughout the sticky day, I alternated between chunks of cold watermelon, and my new favorite, fresh figs.  I had always veered away from figs, imagining them to be sickeningly sweet.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  The soft fresh fruit has a delicate sweetness, and a delightful combination of soft flesh and crunchy little seeds.  I owe a big thanks to Dan Lammers of Rancho San Miguel Exotic Fruits for insisting I try a sample.  He explained to me that figs are really inside-out flowers with the important reproductive bits inside the “fruit”.  While the figs he grows self-pollinate, some varieties depend on a special relationship with tiny fig wasps to get the job done.

During August and September in San Diego is when we are mostly likely to encounter those oppressive 90 degree days.  Fortunately it is also the season for both melons and figs.  I for one intend to get while the getting is good, and beat the heat with a tasty fresh treat.