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Hi, I'm Rachel Edelman, for About.com Food.
Today I'm going to show you how to take a
watermelon and turn it into a fruit basket!
Watermelon baskets are a fun and very resourceful
way to serve this fruit. Watermelon baskets
can be a great hit at parties and picnics.
Watermelon Basket Supplies
For this task we will need:
a large knife
a thin serrated or a craft knife
a non-toxic marker
and if you have a melon-ball tool, or an ice
cream scoop, that will come in handy
Choosing a Watermelon
For a basket, you want a watermelon with a
flattish bottom so it won't roll around. Place
the flat side down, it should be a creamy
yellow color. That's one of the signs that
it is ripe.
Draw Lines on the Watermelon
Find the middle and with your marker go a
little above the middle and draw a line around
the melon. This will help us when we cut.
Go to the top of the melon and draw two lines
equidistant from the center, to make the handle
of the basket. Draw them all the way from
one side to the other.
Carve Out the Lines
Use a large sharp knife and slice the watermelon
from the top down to the horizontal line.
Insert your knife into the watermelon near
the handle and cut out toward the end. Do
this for both sides. Carefully remove both
upper halves of the watermelon.
Cut Out the Basket Handle
To remove the flesh of the fruit from your
basket's handle, slice inward around the rim
of the watermelon. Now press firmly to push
the fruit out.
Scoop Out Remaining Watermelon
If you have an ice cream or a melon-ball scoop
use that to take it out. With your small knife,
trim along the side. Don't forget to grab
the flesh from the halves we cut off to use
in your basket.
Carve Out Decorative Shapes
To make a more impressive basket, you can
use cookie cutters to draw shapes around the
melon. With your thin knife, cut out the shapes.
You can cut shapes along the handle and along
the sides.
A watermelon basket doesn't take long to make
and will really impress your friends and family.
Thanks for watching. To learn more visit us
on the Web at food.about.com.