With the hottest days of summer here and lazy days around the pool eating watermelon here, here are some tips my Dad and Granddad taught me about picking a watermelon. They are not full proof, but you will be better than your thumping friend that just thumps and picks one up.
- Look at the stem. Make sure it is a greenish white color. If it is mostly green, then not ripe. If it is white and brown, it is over ripe.
- Pick a perfectly rounded watermelon, as long as it is symmetrical.
- Press the skin of the watermelon in many different spots to test for firmness – good watermelons will not have soft spots.
- Dark green melons tend to be sweeter than those that are lighter in color.
- Watermelons do not continue to ripen after you bring them home, so what you see is what you get!
- Go heavy. Watermelons are more than 90 percent water, so the most juicy melons are going to be the ones that seem very heavy for their size.
- Look for a yellowish-white spot on the bottom of the melon which is where it was in contact with the ground while it was growing. If this spot is light green, the melon is not yet ripe.
- Scratch the surface of a watermelon with your fingernail. A greenish-white color beneath the outermost layer of the rind indicates a ripe watermelon.
- When you thump the side of a ripe watermelon, it will sound as if the fruit is hollow. If you hear a thud or a tone that is high in pitch, you’re dealing with a fruit that isn’t ripe.
