Our Favorite Summertime Recipe: Watermelon Salad

We love summertime in the Lowcountry, and what better way to celebrate than with locally-grown produce? This easy, breezy watermelon salad will have everyone ohh and ahh-ing with minimal effort. Let the locally grown produce do the heavy lifting.

Visit Rosebank Farms near Sailors Rest and pick up a watermelon (and maybe some fresh baked goods like their banana bread or take-n-bake cinnamon buns while you're at it), grab some feta cheese, pick the basil and arugula from our garden, and Voilà! Local produce and slow food at its finest.

What you’ll need:

• ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (or we won’t judge if you use the bottled juice)

• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

• 1 tablespoon of honey

• ½ cup olive oil (stocked in our pantry)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (also stocked here)

• ½ teaspoon black pepper (again, we thought of nearly everything)

• 6 cups baby arugula (from our garden, of course, provided it’s in season)

• Watermelon, cut into about 1-inch squares.

• Feta cheese (as much as your heart desires, we love extra)

• 1 cup of mint leaves or basil leaves, julienned (we usually have both available year-round in our garden)

• Shallots, diced

Directions:

1) Whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, shallots, honey, salt, and pepper together. Pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly.

2) Keep this “dressing” separate if you’re not ready to enjoy your salad within the hour, and store it in the fridge.

3) Place watermelon and arugula in a bowl, drizzle the dressing, sprinkle with feta, basil, and/or mint leaves, and toss. Serve immediately and impress everyone.