Decide a Ripe Watermelon

It’s tough to explain the style of watermelon, as a result of nothing tastes fairly prefer it. To me, a superbly ripe watermelon hits you first with a contemporary floral however vegetative aroma, then delivers a shiny, fruity sugar rush upfront with a wealthy, lingering sweetness. 

Earlier than diving into this subject, I truthfully can’t keep in mind the final time I used to be capable of observe down the proper watermelon. I’ve partly chalked it as much as unhealthy luck and partly resigned myself to believing most fashionable watermelons are merely not what they was once. However my hope was just lately rekindled after talking with numerous watermelon specialists who gave me 9 tricks to enhance my possibilities of discovering the proper one.

However first, the place to buy. 

Grocery store vs. Farm-Stand Watermelons

Whereas ripe and scrumptious watermelons might be discovered year-round in supermarkets (these are generally hybrid seedless varieties developed particularly for industrial manufacturing), lots of the melons in these shops might be duds, so the percentages are stacked towards you. 

“Watermelon growers harvest hundreds of thousands of tons weekly, so that they’re going via the sector and selecting all the pieces, not solely those which are ripe,” says Thanh Truong, a.okay.a. Fruit Nerd, a third-generation fruiterer who’s labored at main supermarkets and in wholesale markets.

Farmers should consider shelf life and transportation. Truong says that melons at peak ripeness would by no means survive the time and long-distance journey required to get to grocery store cabinets. “Ideally, they’re someplace between 90 to 93% mature, however there might be ones which are 85% ripe within the batch.”

Truong says the distinction in taste is big. Something beneath 80% ripe shouldn’t be candy sufficient. “A watermelon at 91 to 92% may be very candy,” he says. “However a totally ripe watermelon grown in somebody’s yard, small farm, or market backyard will likely be amazingly juicy, candy, and crunchy.”

Not solely are you more likely to discover a totally ripe melon at your native farmstand within the peak of summer season, however chances are you’ll discover watermelons in lots of sizes (from mini to additional massive), shapes (spherical, oval, blocky, elongated), flesh colours (pink, pink, orange, yellow) and rind patterns (from stable to striped or speckled). Truong says watermelons discovered at native markets can be cultivated for his or her sugary flesh—not their means to outlive a cross-country highway journey.

Nonetheless, it’s attainable to discover a candy and ripe watermelon at a grocery store, you simply have to be extra prudent when selecting.

9 Suggestions For Selecting the Finest Watermelons

Whether or not at a retailer or farmers market, watermelons with sure traits (which we’ll get to in a second) would be the better of the bunch. These qualities gained’t at all times be apparent, and a few strategies for choosing ripe ones are extra nuanced than others, so do your greatest.

“Each tip you utilize would possibly get you a 5 to 10% higher choice, however add all the guidelines collectively, and finally you are going to have a watermelon that’s perhaps 30% higher than those actually proper subsequent to it,” says Truong.

And no stress or something, however choosing the right one issues much more since watermelons don’t proceed to ripen after harvest. “It will soften, and the feel might enhance just a little bit, however it’s going to by no means get sweeter,” says Amy Goldman, an heirloom seed preservationist and creator of The Melon. “What you choose is what you get.”

Matte Pores and skin

Search for a watermelon with boring, waxy-looking pores and skin. “If it seems shiny, it isn’t ripe,” says Penelope Perkins-Veazie, PhD, a watermelon specialist and professor of horticultural science at North Carolina State College. Nonetheless, the distinction can typically be too refined, even for her, so don’t spend an excessive amount of time on this one. Whereas purchasing, I seen most watermelons on the retailer seemed matte, so if you see a shiny one, just like the one pictured above,  it ought to stand out like a greased thumb, and ensure to keep away from it. 

Full Ends

“Watermelons must also be well-rounded, with filled-out ends,” says Goldman. “If it isn’t stuffed out, it means pollination was poor, and the flesh high quality suffers.”

Bouncy Sound

Tapping watermelons gained’t inform you how ripe or candy they’re, however it may well clue you in on any harm the watermelon has suffered. “Watermelon is a giant bruiser and extra fragile than you assume,” says Goldman. “I cringe after I see folks piling watermelons on one another as a result of that compression damages the feel inside.”

Thumping the watermelons is an choice to get at what’s occurring behind the rind. (Nonetheless, it solely actually works with the massive melons, not the minis.) Truong says you’re basically assessing for reverb. “When a watermelon has a bruised half, the water separates from the flesh, so it absorbs sound,” says Truong. “While you faucet it, you need it to sound even and for the vibration to bounce again like a basketball.”

However to be clear, this could be a tough sound to detect, and a few by no means handle to listen to the distinction. Even the professionals admit it’s fairly laborious to evaluate. “I’ve thumped these items to the tip of the earth, and I am unable to inform the distinction,” says Perkins-Veazie.

Yellow Spot

Search for the bottom spot on the watermelon, which is the massive, lighter patch on one aspect. “The spot is the place it rested on the bottom,” says Goldman. “The spot’s shade must be a buttery yellow, an indication the farmer picked the watermelon at most maturity.” The melon might not have had sufficient time within the discipline if it is white. Webbing on the spot can be a superb signal of sweetness.

Shriveled Stem

Watermelon growers will know {that a} harvested watermelon is ripe by trying on the calyx, which is the stem space. Truong says if the watermelon is ripe and prepared, the stem shrivels, and the melon falls off the vine, however stem tears point out that the watermelon was forcibly ripped off earlier than it totally ripened. Some melons have just a little dried up stem tail nonetheless hooked up, just like the one pictured above, making it straightforward to visually verify that the stem was brown and shriveled. Some watermelons barely have a stem left, but when they have been picked too quickly, you’ll be able to see tears alongside one aspect the place it was ripped off the vine (beneath).

Strong Striping

“Take a look at the striping sample,” says Perkins-Veazie. “Nicely-developed stripes imply it is extra more likely to be ripe.” That is true of the watermelons obtainable to most shoppers, however there are heirloom varieties with out stripes, so this tip gained’t work for these. Goldman provides that if the darker inexperienced stripes include an excessive amount of yellow, the fruit could also be overripe.

Rugged Ridges

“When you take a look at watermelons carefully, they’ve refined ridges known as veins that run the size of the watermelon,” says Perkins-Veazie. If the ridges look nicely prolonged (raised and protruding out—like a pomegranate, however much less showy) that is a very good indication it’s ripe. They’re undoubtedly seen in bigger melons, however not minis. When you can’t see them clearly, really feel for them.

Heavy Weight

In response to the specialists, the watermelon that feels heaviest for its measurement is probably going the juiciest. The best method is to choose up a number of watermelons to match. I counsel working via all the guidelines above first that can assist you weed out the watermelons value lifting.

Sugar Crystals (For Deciding on Reduce Watermelon)

When you purchase a halved or quartered watermelon, Truong says little sugar crystals close to the seeds or false seeds is an apparent signal the watermelon is good. Within the picture above, for instance, the flesh across the seeds seem like little geodes.

Placing the Tricks to the Check

In my quest to choose the proper watermelon, I bought six choices—three massive and three mini  throughout three distributors (two grocery shops and one farmers market). In every occasion, I attempted to verify all of the containers to get the very best choice; I additionally picked one from every store that was lacking a number of the qualities to see in the event that they have been missing in sweetness or succulence. 

Once I adopted all (or most) of the guidelines collectively, I persistently picked nice watermelons. It’s true what the specialists say in that each one the guidelines together with one another actually pay dividends. Once I opted to heed solely half of the guidelines, the watermelon was about half pretty much as good.

Many of the ideas have been straightforward to evaluate (particularly after I paid no thoughts to the produce workers teasing me for spending 20 minutes selecting out a watermelon). The one one I discovered a bit tedious was making an attempt to gauge which of them have been “heavy for his or her measurement.” This tip is simpler stated than executed with the large watermelons. You possibly can’t actually choose up two directly, so some muscle reminiscence is required. Mini watermelons are a lot simpler to gauge weight—simply maintain one in every hand. Goldman’s rounded-ends tip was additionally useful in deciding which melons to choose up. The dimensions at checkout helped me verify that my prized watermelon was certainly heavier than my second choose by 12 ounces. Nonetheless, in spite of everything that, after I reduce the 2 open at house, the lighter watermelon was sweeter. 

All however certainly one of my melons had stunning, crisp, damage-free flesh, which suggests the thumping check possible works. I’m no baller, however I’ve bounced a couple of basketballs in my life, and Truong’s analogy was spot on. When tapped, a couple of melons appeared to suck down the sound and vibration, whereas others sprung it again into my hand. This solely labored for the large watermelons although; I didn’t get a lot suggestions tapping mini watermelons, and alas, certainly one of my minis had compromised flesh.

On the finish of the day, I used to be pleased to know nice watermelons can nonetheless be discovered on the retailer, however I used to be much more elated to discover a watermelon with a lot of crusty webbing over the bottom spot on the farmers market; it was the sweetest of the bunch. Simply one other reminder of the advantages of purchasing regionally!