I kept thinking to myself, is this actually happening? They have molasses, okra, toasted watermelon seed oil (that was some fine smelling and tasting stuff), ground nuts and so on. That’s the story the way I knew it until the summer of 1998. We have yet to meet somebody who hasn’t loved them! The Bradford was prized because of its fragrant, sweet and soft flesh. The heirloom Bradford Watermelon, long thought extinct, is being reintroduced to chefs, gardeners, and food enthusiasts around the world! A plethora of food offerings. However, although the commercial line disappeared, my family never stopped growing the original watermelon. Everyone else was out of melons by the time his started coming in so if you wanted a watermelon you had to see Chief. Note: 2-3 weeks to ship Molasses. The plans were nailed down and the date was set. He also figured out how to make a 19th-century concoction called watermelon molasses — a tricky reduction of watermelon … It's all melons all the time in late harvest as he decides which ones to save seeds from and which ones to process as pickled rinds or red molasses (an old-fashioned recipe that took him two years to perfect). It was the finest watermelon for making pickled rind, too, spoon tender right down to its dark green skin. He asked what kind of plans I was making for the crop and I shared my brewery plans with him. This was a life changing experience. One Sunday morning in church our pastor was sharing about a mission that our church was supporting to drill fresh water wells in Africa. Most watermelons fall close to a 10 on the brix rating, which measures sugar, but the Bradford came in … Landscape Architecture was not going to be enough to squelch this burning desire to farm. Meet Cheryl Ripperton Rettie, CFSA Finance, Administration, & HR Director, Find Your 2020 Pasture-Raised Thanksgiving Turkey from a Local Farm. By the 1850s, the Bradford watermelon had developed a reputation for sweetness and for its edible rind. Now a … It is distilled and bottled in very limited quantities at Six & Twenty Distillery in upstate South Carolina and can be purchased now at the Six & Twenty Distillery store. It’s His story after all, and the best is still to come. I could not have predicted this a year ago. In the spring of 1997 while doing research for an internship I had at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, I came across a book from the 1850’s that chronicled the best vegetables and fruits of that time. Which SAC 2020 Workshops Are CFSA Staff Extra Excited For? I was excited about the prospects and couldn't wait to get started. From those 45 melons we extracted almost 80 gallons of beautiful red juice, eventually reduced down to about 8 gallons of molasses through the simple yet extremely time consuming task of slowly simmering and stirring. Rind Pickles: Read more about it here. But this one far exceeded his expectation! Bradford Watermelons aren’t just about the melons, however. The crisp meat of the melon, ranging from pale pink to deep red imbedded with white seeds, was a sugary treat to eat fresh. I saw the article featuring your Bradford Melons in the Clemson World Email. Depending upon the soil it is grown in, the rind develops longitudinal sutures. From him the seeds and knowledge were passed down to my Dad, and finally to me. Needless to say we drew the attention of a small crowd of onlookers as a procession of white-suited chefs carried these 40 pound melons single file across the street and into the kitchen. Charleston’s High Wire Distilling Co . Size: 4 oz. Being a full time business owner, I needed to focus on a simple way to move the entire crop quickly, without taking too much time from my business. Think of it as the poster child for the story of our food culture. Drain them well. Our dark molasses is rich, complex, and caramelly. And what were we going to do with half an acre of watermelons? Jeremiah said that many times folks would come in touting their grandmother’s recipe, but they never lived up to the expectation. That’s when another of David and Glenn’s friends and world-renowned chef, Sean Brock, volunteered his kitchen and staff at McCrady’s Restaurant in Charleston to handle all the processing. That turned out to be the catalyst of change that would redefine the rest of my life. There were several different batches each having distinct flavors based on how Jeremiah regulated temperature and time variations. His section on watermelons listed the same varieties that I had seen in the 1850s book including the Bradford watermelon. Photos courtesy of Heather Grillot, Nat Bradford holding his family watermelon. A portion of the proceeds would go to our cause Watermelons for Water. Sean appointed Chef Daniel Heinze to manage the whole project while Chef Jeremiah Langhorne took on the molasses making. We were able to raise enough money to impact the lives of 12,000 people in need of fresh water and medication. Made using a special recipe from Nat’s grandmother, “MaaMaa,” we are thrilled to bring them back! I found myself in one of Charleston’s most acclaimed restaurants a few weeks ago with some of the most talented budding chefs in the world and Thomas Locke from CFSA resurrecting a recipe that had not been attempted in 125 years with a fruit that was supposed to be extinct. But the oblong, soft-skinned Bradford was never suited to stacking and long-distance shipping. Probably nothing like you might expect from a watermelon rind, these are super crisp, perfectly sweet pickles. A brewery was found in Alabama. Guest Post by Nat Bradford I imagined one of those grieving mothers losing her precious child. They have molasses, okra, toasted watermelon seed oil (that was some fine smelling and tasting stuff), ground nuts and … It began last fall when I had the privilege of attending my first Sustainable Ag Conference in Greenville, SC when a dear friend’s wife could not attend and had an extra ticket. As a transplant from Louisiana to Upstate South Carolina, I’m so glad to see that there are better melons available here with a great cause to boot. And so began the effort to repatriate the Bradford. Time limit is exhausted. Seeds are available for those interested in growing their own melons. Eventually, I came across a site called American Heritage Vegetables by Professor David Shields at the University of South Carolina. Unbearable. also purchased 140 of the melons to use in a limited batch of its heirloom brandy, which quickly sold out for $79 a bottle. Bradford Watermelons aren’t just about the melons, however. Thus, no longer was the ambitious farmer relegated to marketing his melons to his locale. After meeting so many wonderful people passionate about healthy food and farming I found my love of farming reignited. If we had a perfect yield we would get one big melon per vine. You can learn more about the Bradford Watermelon and Nat’s project, Watermelons for Water by visiting his facebook page at the web address below or by searching for Watermelons for Water. var notice = document.getElementById("cptch_time_limit_notice_35"); It was this tender skin, undoubtedly, that made it nigh impossible to ship and so it never roamed far from our family fields. Then make a syrup of two pounds of sugar, one quart of vinegar, half an ounce of mace, an ounce of cinnamon, and some roots of ginger boiled until thick, and pour over the melons boiling hot. By Nat Bradford In General, Home, Newsletter. He reduces the juice down to watermelon molasses, a popular alternate sweetener in the 19th century. 9 You could pierce the rind with a butter knife and the sugary juice could be boiled to make molasses or even distilled into Brandy. David came out to our field for a visit a month before harvest to see for the first time our historic watermelons growing. Bradford Family Watermelon Brandy: As it would turn out, we spent 3 days and nights processing those 45 melons, finally ending up with over 400 one-quart jars of the finest rind pickle in existence and about 8 gallons of molasses…the only Bradford watermelon molasses in the world. So here I am in Greenville, SC at CFSA’s sustainable agriculture conference. It may not sound like much, but it was quite risky when the last of the seed of Bradford watermelon on the planet could be contained in a couple of mason jars! David was able to finish the story. Unconscionable. It was going to be clean and simple. That instant Watermelons for Water was conceived. And our crop, we had better than a perfect yield! Read on, as Charles Franklin Jenkins of New Riegel, Ohio explains how to make your own watermelon syrup. Glenn talked with me about how important it was that this watermelon be experienced in South Carolina, its birthplace, not in an Alabama brewery. Of those listed the author distinguished one as being the absolute best, and to my surprise it was called Bradford, originated in the central portion of South Carolina! Nevertheless, the Bradford Watermelon was the ideal rendering melon for summer molasses. I arrived in Charleston on a Friday morning with my big white truck and a gooseneck trailer loaded with 45 seedmelons carefully placed in bed of hay one layer deep. Teig mehrma Buy A Genuine Bradford Watermelon. While some purchased watermelon molasses and watermelon rind pickles, it was a real treat to receive a Bradford Watermelon to take home and make some fun recipes with. Home cooks often turned to watermelon molasses to preserve fresh fruit for the winter. I would carry this question unanswered for the next 14 years. They have molasses, okra, toasted watermelon seed oil (that was some fine smelling and tasting stuff), ground nuts and so on. My family and I prayed for guidance on how to use this family treasure in an amazing way that would bring God glory and have great impact in the world. I made plans to find a brewery that would make a special beer with our Bradford watermelon capitalizing on our story. ); Bradford Watermelons aren’t just about the melons, however. You could pierce the rind with a butter knife and the sugary juice could be boiled to make molasses or even distilled into Brandy. Dann den Teig in einer gefetteten Schüssel abgedeckt 1 Stunde an einem warmen Ort gehen lassen. The heirloom Bradford Watermelon, long thought extinct, is being reintroduced to chefs, gardeners, and food enthusiasts around the world! Every day around the world over 3000 people die of illnesses from poor drinking water, many of them are small children. My oldest 3 sons and I planted six rows of watermelons—220 hills with 2 plants per hill for a total of 440 plants. So many wonderful people came together to make history and bring a nearly extinct, and certainly lost food back to our tables. The quality that most recommended a variety of watermelon for pickling with the tendency of the rind and sub-rind (exocarp) to become glassy or translucent upon long boiling at low heat. Our mission was to drill fresh water wells all over the world and provide medication to treat waterborne illnesses. Bradford Watermelons aren’t just about the melons, however. Cook until the liquid has reduced to a molasses-like consistency and it coats the back of a metal spoon, about 10-15 minutes. He works tirelessly to find alternate uses for his family’s melon. Most can be cured with a 30 cent pill. Today, visitors to Bradford's farm-house in Sumter, South Carolina, a sleepy town about 45 miles from Columbia, have to step over watermelons covering the front porch. We take special care to ensure that our heritage seeds have preserved the unique sweetness and tender rind of the Bradford watermelon. Prepare to have your tastebuds blown! The Bradford watermelon has a thick rind,” Bradford said. Used to create stout beers, rich sauces, meat glazes, and tame loud foods. The Bradford boasted sweet flesh so coveted, 19th-century growers turned to guns and poison to thwart thieves. The pickled watermelon rind was a hit, too. Purchase yours here! He offered to cover all the cost of processing the seedmelons (the best of the bunch) into watermelon molasses and my Grandmother’s watermelon rind pickle, as well as save all the seeds. Most watermelons fall close to a 10 on the brix rating, which measures sugar, but the Bradford came in … Bradford Watermelons aren’t just about the melons, however. I planted the biggest field of Bradford watermelons our family had ever grown…a half acre. Running the beginning farmer program at CFSA’s research and education farm, I get … Continue reading →, by Roland McReynolds, CFSA Executive Director | Thursday, Feb. 5, 2021 — Farmers, businesses, and individuals who care about healthy local and regional food systems need to speak out about the Food and Drug Administration’s unfair proposed rule on recordkeeping … Continue reading →, How to Comment on the FDA’s Unfair Recordkeeping Rule, Post-Harvest Wash Stations: Simple Infrastructure & Sanitizer Guidance, Congress Reaches Last-Minute Deal on $900 Billion COVID-19 Stimulus, Expert Tip: Variety Trials and Local Favorites, Meet Matt Kneece, CFSA South Carolina Policy Coordinator, Expert Tip: Food Safety & Traceability – One Step Back, One Step Forward. notice.style.display = "block"; There may just be time to get some of your seeds in the soil out here this year. Nat Bradford is making watermelon molasses, watermelon brandy and watermelon rind pickles, all of which are possible because of the exceptional fruit characteristics—extremely sweet, thin rinds, delicious flesh and large (up to 30 pound) fruits. The Bradford was prized because of its fragrant, sweet and soft flesh. The melon was created by Bradford's forefathers … Our half acre of Bradford watermelons would be how. Made exclusively from Bradford Family Watermelons, our molasses is used to accent dishes, make sauces, and create stout beers. Even my cousin and his wife joined to help.  =  Nat grows out the melons to provide clean water sources in the third world. if ( notice ) Dinkel-Joghurt Brot Alle Zutaten in den Mixtopf und 5 Min./verrühren. Enlarge this image Nat Bradford holds a Bradford watermelon, known for its sweet, fragrant red flesh. Watermelons for Water was a huge success, too. Indeed they were one and the same watermelon! Time limit is exhausted. Your email address will not be published. The color is phenomenal. Watermelon Molasses: In two varieties, dark and red, our watermelon molasses captures the sweet, pure essence of watermelon juice in a bottle. © 2015 The Bradford Watermelon Co.
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