When in doubt for what to bring to a pot luck, look in your refrigerator. I found a whole watermelon and some arugula. How could I put those together? This seemed like a job for a good salad dressing. I found one in the Better Homes and Gardens Eating Healthy Cook Book (1986) with this note above it: “A delicious dressing unites the fruit and greens.” The dressing is supposed to go on a spinach salad with papaya or pears, grapes – but that didn’t stop me from trying it on my combination. As I prepared the watermelon, I thought of poet Terrance Hayes’ “Sonnet,” which is 14 lines of “We sliced the watermelon in smiles.” I added a handful of mint leaves from my garden and I was ready to go.
Honey Dressing for Fruit Salad (1986)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons salad oil [I used olive oil]
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon poppy seeds [I omitted this because I didn’t think the flavor would go well with watermelon]
In a screw-top jar, combine the vinegar, oil, honey, mustard, and poppy seeds. Cover and shake well to mix. Pour over the salad and toss to combine.
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