Selection and Nutrition Tips for Summer Sangria Recipes

Cucumber, Melon and Mint Sangria

• English cucumbers are slightly smaller in diameter, making them perfect for a beverage. You can substitute regular cucumbers, too. Keep the skin on – it adds a color and contrast to your sangria.
• Indiana ranks fourth in the U.S. for mint production. Choose bright green mint leaves free of brown or black spots.
• Choose basil leaves that aren’t wilted or shriveled and that are bright green in color with no brown spots. “Chiffonade” means to cut into thin strips or shreds. The easiest way to chiffonade basil leaves is to create a stack of many full basil leaves, roll up, then cut thinly.
• Try Decker melons in this sangria, and you’ll be supporting the melons grown in this tiny Knox County town in Indiana!
• Cucumbers are an excellent source of bone-building vitamin K.
• Melons provide an array of immune-boosting nutrients, especially vitamin C.
• Watermelon is rich in lycopene, a phytonutrient that helps reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men.