The best way to Choose a Ripe Watermelon

It’s troublesome 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 recent floral however vegetative aroma, then delivers a vibrant, fruity sugar rush upfront with a wealthy, lingering sweetness. 

Earlier than diving into this subject, I truthfully can’t bear in mind the final time I used to be capable of observe down the right watermelon. I’ve partly chalked it as much as dangerous luck and partly resigned myself to believing most fashionable watermelons are merely not what they was. However my hope was not too long ago rekindled after talking with numerous watermelon consultants who gave me 9 tricks to enhance my possibilities of discovering the best 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 business manufacturing), lots of the melons in these shops might be duds, so the chances are stacked in opposition to you. 

“Watermelon growers harvest hundreds of thousands of tons weekly, so that they’re going by means of the sector and selecting every part, not solely those which might be 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 might be 85% ripe within the batch.”

Truong says the distinction in taste is big. Something beneath 80% ripe is just not 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 can 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 time, however you might discover watermelons in lots of sizes (from mini to additional massive), shapes (spherical, oval, blocky, elongated), flesh colours (crimson, pink, orange, yellow) and rind patterns (from strong to striped or speckled). Truong says watermelons discovered at native markets could 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 must be extra prudent when selecting.

9 Ideas For Selecting the Greatest 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 received’t all the time be apparent, and a few strategies for choosing ripe ones are extra nuanced than others, so do your finest.

“Each tip you utilize may get you a 5 to 10% higher choice, however add all the information 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 selecting the correct one issues much more since watermelons don’t proceed to ripen after harvest. “It will soften, and the feel could enhance a little bit bit, however it’ll by no means get sweeter,” says Amy Goldman, an heirloom seed preservationist and writer of The Melon. “What you choose is what you get.”

Matte Pores and skin

Search for a watermelon with uninteresting, waxy-looking pores and skin. “If it appears shiny, it is not ripe,” says Penelope Perkins-Veazie, PhD, a watermelon specialist and professor of horticultural science at North Carolina State College. Nevertheless, the distinction can generally be too refined, even for her, so don’t spend an excessive amount of time on this one. Whereas procuring, I observed most watermelons on the retailer seemed matte, so while 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 also needs to be well-rounded, with filled-out ends,” says Goldman. “If it is not stuffed out, it means pollination was poor, and the flesh high quality suffers.”

Bouncy Sound

Tapping watermelons received’t inform you how ripe or candy they’re, however it could 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 once 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 happening behind the rind. (Nevertheless, 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. “Once you faucet it, you need it to sound even and for the vibration to bounce again like a basketball.”

However to be clear, this generally is a troublesome sound to detect, and a few by no means handle to listen to the distinction. Even the professionals admit it’s fairly arduous to evaluate. “I’ve thumped these items to the top of the earth, and I can not inform the distinction,” says Perkins-Veazie.

Yellow Spot

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

Shriveled Stem

Watermelon growers will know {that a} harvested watermelon is ripe by wanting 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 a little bit dried up stem tail nonetheless connected, just like the one pictured above, making it simple 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 possibly can see tears alongside one facet the place it was ripped off the vine (beneath).

Strong Striping

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

Rugged Ridges

“Should you have 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 great indication it’s ripe. They’re positively seen in bigger melons, however not minis. Should you can’t see them clearly, really feel for them.

Heavy Weight

In accordance with the consultants, the watermelon that feels heaviest for its dimension is probably going the juiciest. The best method is to choose up a number of watermelons to match. I counsel working by means of all the information above first that can assist you weed out the watermelons price lifting.

Sugar Crystals (For Deciding on Reduce Watermelon)

Should 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 Take a look at

In my quest to choose the right 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 examine all of the bins 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 information collectively, I persistently picked nice watermelons. It’s true what the consultants say in that each one the information together with one another actually pay dividends. Once I opted to heed solely half of the information, the watermelon was about half nearly as good.

A lot of the ideas have been simple to evaluate (particularly once I paid no thoughts to the produce staff teasing me for spending 20 minutes selecting out a watermelon). The one one I discovered a bit tedious was attempting to gauge which of them have been “heavy for his or her dimension.” This tip is less complicated mentioned than completed with the massive watermelons. You may’t actually choose up two without delay, 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 size at checkout helped me verify that my prized watermelon was certainly heavier than my second choose by 12 ounces. Nevertheless, in any case that, once I lower the 2 open at house, the lighter watermelon was sweeter. 

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

On the finish of the day, I used to be completely satisfied 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 number 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 procuring regionally!