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Now’s the time to go all out with summer melons. Whether you show up at the next picnic balancing a watermelon on your hip, or add chunks of cantaloupe to your morning smoothie and summer fruit salads, there are lots of ways to appreciate melons. Here are some of our favorite recipes featuring one of summer’s most refreshing fruits: Drinks and Coolers

• Watermelons, with their plentiful juiciness, make thirst-quenching additions to drinks. Try Strawberry Watermelon Coolers, Watermelon Lemonade or Watermelon Agua Fresca.
• Honeydew gives a gentle sweetness and cooling note to Double Grape Slushies.
• Honeydew makes another appearance in the refreshing Honeydew Green Tea, but it would be just as good with other sweet melons, such as watermelon or cantaloupe.
• Whether you eat it for dessert or as a midday treat, icy Watermelon Granita is a sweet way to beat the summer heat.

Salads

• Fresh summer cantaloupe and honeydew melons put a delightful spin on a classic fruit salad in Melon Ambrosia. The addition of coconut milk makes it deliciously creamy without any cream!
• Use watermelon for the base of super-cool summer salads. Fresh herbs, tomatoes and a handful of feta or goat cheese crumbles make great partners. Try Watermelon and Arugula Salad, Tomato and Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint or Watermelon Salad with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Basil.
• Add some shrimp for a more robust salad like Shrimp, Watermelon and Goat Cheese Salad.
• Watermelon and Strawberry Salad gets fired up with a boost of heat from fresh chile peppers.
• Use cantaloupe or honeydew, tossed with fresh mint and a dash of chili powder, to make Minty Melon Salad.
• Try a fruit salad…on a stick! The grill caramelizes these Fruit Kebabs and makes for a sweetly satisfying treat.
• The classic Italian pairing of Cantaloupe with Prosciutto makes a light lunch or supper. It’s super simple but here’s a recipe in case you need one.

Soups

• Try Chilled Minted Melon Soup as a starter or for dessert.
• Have fun with Honeydew and Almond Gazpacho, a creative spin on gazpacho that takes honeydew melon in a savory direction.
• Cool off on a hot summer evening with a bowl of Watermelon-Tomato Gazpacho, or make it into a refreshing cocktail.
• Strawberry Melon Gazpacho also does double duty as a dessert soup or a pretty addition to a brunch buffet.

Condiments

• Use every bit of that watermelon! You won’t be able to resist the alluring pale pink color of Pickled Watermelon Rind with Radishes.
• Watermelon Salsa is a quick, easy and fresh topping for grilled fish or chicken.

How are you enjoying melons this summer? Tell us in the comments below!