(Family Features) As you gather to ring in the New Year, give your celebration an extra kick by offering your guests an array of mouthwatering refreshments. Don’t be afraid to borrow inspiration for sweet, tangy and refreshing flavors from unexpected places, such as the produce department.

Amp up the excitement at your party by presenting a menu filled with foods and drinks that energize and excite the taste buds. Unique ingredients from the produce department are a great place to start. For example, with its burst of familiar melon flavor at the start, followed by delicate citrus hints at the finish, the Kandy Lemondrop Melon is the perfect ingredient to perk up your party.

Well-suited as a stand-alone snack or on a tray with other flavorful fruits, this unique melon creates one-of-a-kind flavor in a wide range of preparations, from refreshing party cocktails to flavorful sorbets.

Refreshingly real
What’s more, the Kandy Lemondrop Melon is a real, refreshing ingredient. With no genetically modified organisms (GMO free), it is the perfect nutritional snack, containing no fat or cholesterol. It also provides more than the recommended daily amount of vitamin A, and more than 50 percent of the daily recommendation for vitamin C.

Grown with pride
Many health-conscious hosts and home cooks are eager for a better understanding of where their food comes from. Martori Farms has honored its founding principle of consistently offering the freshest products of the finest quality for more than 100 years. Among their coveted crops is the Kandy Lemondrop Melon, which is held solely with a proprietary license in the United States by this fourth generation family-owned and operated company.

Today Martori Farms is a vertically integrated operation, shipping fresh fruits and vegetables year-round throughout North America. For more information and recipes to pump up your New Year party, visit www.martorifarms.com.  

Martori Kandy Lemondrop Melon Sorbet

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups pureed Martori Kandy Lemondrop Melon
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups lemon juice
• Fresh mint for garnish

Preparation

1. Mix together sugar and lemon juice. Once sugar is completely dissolved, add Martori Kandy Lemondrop Melon puree. Churn mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions for approximately 20-30 minutes. Serve sorbet with sprig of mint.

Martori Kandy Lemondrop Melon Martini

Ingredients

• 2 ounces juice extracted from a Martori Kandy Lemondrop Melon
• 1 ounce vodka of choice
• Sugar for rim

Preparation

1. Shake Martori Kandy Lemondrop Melon juice and vodka over ice. Pour into sugar-rimmed glass and garnish with Martori Kandy Lemondrop Melon ball.

Sponsored by Martori Farms