Watermelon Gazpacho – A Chilled Soup for Climate Change
It rained here in Zurich this morning, a welcome respite from the scorching temperatures that overwhelmed the northern hemisphere the last weeks. When the temperature is so high I want to eat either watermelon or salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner and can’t even step within ten feet of an oven. If you feel the same, then this chilled watermelon gazpacho soup is here to help you out! It is basically watermelon and salad in a blender and despite how that sounds, it tastes delicious.
HEATWAVES, CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE WATERMELON GAZPACHO IN YOUR BOWL
If you are one to listen to scientists, then drinking pureed salad may be something you will have to become more accustomed to. Because researchers predict that due to climate change, we are more likely to see heatwaves like we have just experienced in the future.
That is a frightening thought, especially when it comes to our food. Maybe this summer you already noticed a subtle difference in the supermarket or at the farmers market. Some of the produce we are used to at this time is not available, looks or tastes different or costs more. And we are yet to see the impact on the autumn harvests. That is only the part that we actually see. For those producing our food, they also have to content with water shortages, crops wilting and the danger of working in the fields in the direct heat.
A PLANT FORWARD FUTURE
If we continue to eat, live and consume as we currently do, the predictions for the impact of climate change on our food are pretty dire. But they will only happen if we don’t change something. And that is the interesting thing about climate change and food – it is a two-way street. All the activities in our food system that are necessary to feed us in the way we have become accustomed generate around 30% of all human related greenhouse gas emissions . So, on one hand, food plays a massive role in contributing to climate change. On the other hand, climate change will have a massive impact on what we can grow, where we can grow it and how nutritious it is.
That means the bad news can also be the good news – by changing what we eat and how we produce it, we can actively contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For many people living wealthy in the western world, that means eating substantially less meat and animal source foods and instead focusing on a nutritionally balanced diet that is rich in plant-based foods* (like all the recipes you will find here on The Great Full). Not only can this make a tangible contribution to reducing your diet related climate impact, it could help your health as well.
The other good news about this is that eating a diverse diet that has a focus on vegetables, fruits, pulses and seeds is, in my humble opinion, an incredibly joyful and flavor-ful way to eat.
Ok, you came here for a refreshing watermelon gazpacho recipe and unexpectedly got a climate change rant Thanks for reading along anyway! What are your thoughts about eating meat – do you, don’t you and why? Share your thoughts in a comment below and let’s keep the conversation going….there are so many more aspects to this topic than can be covered in one short post so let’s keep chatting below!
Xo Michelle
*I feel the need to write a 3 page disclaimer here, highlighting all the other issues we need to consider when deciding to eat meat or not. I’ll save it for another post, but two important points: (1) This doesn’t mean that plant based ingredients are climate-guilt free, however the climate impact of producing them is usually lower than animal source foods. That said, growing plants in heated and lit greenhouses, transporting them long distances by plane or intensively using chemical inputs all substantially increase the climate impact of plant-based ingredients. (2) Grazing livestock (extensively rather than intensively) can play and important role in sustainable production systems if managed correctly and ethically. But if we want to raise all meat and animal products this way we will need to drastically reduce our consumption of these products.
Watermelon Gazpacho – A Chilled Soup for Climate Change
Author: Michelle - The Great Full | Recipe type: Soup
PREP TIME: 15 mins
TOTAL TIME: 15 mins
Serves: 6 (as a starter)
A chilled Watermelon Gazpacho soup for those heatwave days!
INSTRUCTIONS
Remove the skin and then roughly chop the watermelon. Add to blender and pulse a few times until it has a liquid consistency.
Add chopped tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, chilli, lemon juice, vinegars, olive oil, basil and salt to the blender. Blend until it is well combined and a soup like consistency. You may need to add a few splashes of water to get the blender mixing properly (depending on your blender strength).
Pour into a jug and place in the refrigerator to cool for approx. 1 hour.
To serve, place some ice in the bottom of glasses or small bowls. Pour the gazpacho over the top. Garnish with some finely chopped watermelon, tomatoes, onion and basil if you like. Top with cracked black pepper and salt to taste.
INGREDIENTS
½ Small Watermelon (approx. 1kg with skin, 700g without skin)
300g Tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ Lebanese Cucumber, peeled roughly chopped (approx. 250g)
1 small Red Onion, peeled and roughly chopped (approx. 50-60g)
½ fresh mild red Chilli, seeds removed (approx. 10g, can used smaller amount of dried if fresh not available)
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (approx. juice of one lemon)
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
½ Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar (can also skip if you don’t have it, or just use 1.5 Tbsp of one type of vinegar)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Big handful Basil (approx.10g)
1 Teaspoon Salt, plus/minus to taste
Cracked Pepper to taste
2 handfuls Ice