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Year's First Three Sisters Garden Watermelon Clocked in at 18 Pounds
- Bob Benenson
- Aug 20
- 2 min read
And the Best is Yet to Come
My friend Tracey Vowell's Three Sisters Garden farm in Kankakee, Illinois annually grows watermelons that are a) delicious and b) ginormous, which I have regularly ordered since Tracey shifted to Chicago home delivery in 2020 during the COVID crisis.
I think the 27-pounder I received last year is the record holder, but at least once each summer I have received at least one that has exceeded 20 pounds by quite a bit. I have a ritual when I receive one of these melon-zillas, plunging my chef's knife in as a re-enactment of the lesser-known Arthurian legend of the sword in the watermelon.
My first-of-season watermelon — which arrived with a dozen ears of Tracey's outstanding sweet corn and some cucumbers — was hefty but clocked in at 18 pounds. So I chuckled when I read the note on the receipt in the delivery box: While Tracey usually leaves a simple "Thanks," this time she wrote (in reference to the watermelon's size), "This is not the one."
Even if 18 pounds isn't the one, it's big enough to make it challenging (and messy) to break down on our narrow kitchen counters. But victory is mine. Just look at the gorgeous colors, and it is so sweet.
The sliced melon fills one big container and four smaller containers. I'm sure we'll share some with neighbor friends because as much as we like watermelon, we're not apt to eat it three meals a day.
Besides, we have to make room soon for the next watermelon. It ought to be a doozy.
Click the button below to learn more about Three Sisters Garden and (if you're in one of Tracey's delivery areas) order your own mega-melon.
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