I was so thrilled to find a Yellow Doll watermelon at the farmer’s market a few weeks ago. I hauled it around the market as I picked up a few more items, satisfied with my prize. As I was paying for some carrots, I asked the farmer to lop the tops off. “You know you the tops are edible right?” he asked as he passed me my change. I then launched into a lengthy story of how my freezer was full of carrot top pesto, blah, blah, blah. Finally got home, no Yellow Doll in sight. In all of my pesto smugness I’d left it with the carrot farmer, his consolation prize for having to listen to my five-minute response. Fortunately there was another Yellow Doll waiting for me a week later. And it was well worth the wait…
ME: Ok, wait guys. What are these called?
SAM: Uh, yellow baby.
LAUREN: Dolly?
ME: Yes! You were the closest. Yellow doll, that’s right.
EMMA: Yellow dolly.
ME: What does it look like?
EMMA: A tomato.
ME: It does look a little bit like yellow tomatoes. What’s different between these than our usual watermelons?
SAM: They’re yellow.
ME: Yeah, they’re yellow and what else?
LAUREN: They’ve got blacker seeds.
ME: Yeah, they’ve got darker seeds. With our other watermelons you can kind of eat the seeds. But with these ones you really should not eat the seeds. Or else….
LAUREN: What?
ME: You will grow…
LAUREN: A watermelon out of your head.
ME: Yes, that’s right. A watermelon out of your head. Ok. Who wants to smell it first?
SAM: Me.
LAUREN: I just want to taste it so much.
ME: I know. We’re going to smell it first though. Tell me what it smells like.
LAUREN: Sour.
SAM: It smells like a –
LAUREN: Like a regular watermelon.
ME: It does?
LAUREN: Yeah.
EMMA: It smells like watermelon.
ME: Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it. Ok, let me smell it. Yeah, it smells like regular watermelon!
KIDS: Laughing.
ME: Ok. Now, who’s going to taste it?
LAUREN: Me.
ME: What does it taste like?
LAUREN: Whoa, it’s so sweet.
ME: Whoa.
ME: Sam, you dropped your piece already? Here. Here’s another. Don’t drop it guys, this one’s fancier than our usual one. What do you think guys?
LAUREN: It tastes amazing. Tastes so sweet.
SAM: Yeah, tastes sweet. Can you hand me a piece?
LAUREN: Here.
SAM: You gave me a big, big, big piece.
ME: You guys like this better than the red watermelon or the same?
LAUREN: Oh, the same.
ME: The same? What do you think, Sam? No, I don’t like you using a knife, ok?
SAM: I’m getting the seeds out.
ME: I know, but I’ll get the seeds out. Knives are still for me to use, ok? And you can also just spit the seeds out if you get one in your mouth. That’s no big deal. What about you Emma, do you like it the same as the other watermelon –
EMMA: Yeah.
ME: — or better?
EMMA: Better.
ME: I like it better too. We should make some watermelon pops with this one.
EMMA: Yeah, yeah, yeah!
SAM: No.
EMMA: Yes.
ME: I think that would be a good idea. Ok, here’s more. Should we get this one again?
ALL: Yes!
