Ingredients

• Watermelon (around 5.5 pounds, including rind) from Willow Creek Farm
• 1 lime
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup organic sugar
• Mint (optional garnish)

Directions

1. Make a simple syrup by bringing a saucepan of the water and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

2. While you are waiting for the syrup to cool, prepare the lime by rolling it on the counter with pressure from the palm of your hand. Zest the lime, and set zest aside. Juice the remaining lime and set aside.

3. Cut the watermelon into chunks and remove the seeds. Place seeds in a strainer over a bowl to retrieve any juice. Purée watermelon chunks and strained juice with immersion blender. You want 4 cups of puréed watermelon.

4. Combine puréed watermelon, lime juice and simple syrup together, and mix well.

5. Pour into a large, shallow baking pan (deeper pans will take longer to freeze); we use a 9-inch by 13-inch lasagna dish. Every 20 minutes, scrape crystals into center with a fork, until everything has frozen. Scraping is what forms the coarse separate crystals which are the signature feature for this dish. Depending on the size of the pan, it may take up to 3 hours. 

6. Cover tightly until ready to use.

7. When ready to serve, use a fork to stir the granita one more time to form loose crystals. Serve in chilled fancy glasses or bowls, and garnish with chopped mint and lime zest. You may also sprinkle a tiny bit of salt to bring out more of the sweet flavor!