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 contemporary floral however vegetative aroma, then delivers a vivid, fruity sugar rush upfront with a wealthy, lingering sweetness. 

Earlier than diving into this subject, I actually 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 dangerous luck and partly resigned myself to believing most fashionable watermelons are merely not what they was. However my hope was just lately rekindled after talking with numerous watermelon consultants who gave me 9 tricks to enhance my probabilities of discovering the appropriate 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 sorts developed particularly for industrial manufacturing), most of the melons in these shops might be duds, so the percentages are stacked in opposition to you. 

“Watermelon growers harvest tens of millions of tons weekly, in order that they’re going by means of the sector and selecting the whole lot, not solely those which can be ripe,” says Thanh Truong, a.ok.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 can be 85% ripe within the batch.”

Truong says the distinction in taste is gigantic. Something beneath 80% ripe shouldn’t be candy sufficient. “A watermelon at 91 to 92% may be very candy,” he says. “However a completely 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 absolutely ripe melon at your native farmstand within the peak of summer time, however you might discover watermelons in lots of sizes (from mini to further massive), shapes (spherical, oval, blocky, elongated), flesh colours (purple, pink, orange, yellow) and rind patterns (from strong to striped or speckled). Truong says watermelons discovered at native markets can be cultivated for his or her sugary flesh—not their capability to outlive a cross-country highway journey.

Nonetheless, it’s doable to discover a candy and ripe watermelon at a grocery store, you simply should 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 finest.

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

And no strain or something, however selecting the correct one issues much more since watermelons don’t proceed to ripen after harvest. “It’s going to soften, and the feel might enhance just a little 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 boring, waxy-looking pores and skin. “If it seems to be shiny, it is not 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 delicate, even for her, so don’t spend an excessive amount of time on this one. Whereas purchasing, I observed 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 is not crammed 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 might probably clue you in on any injury the watermelon has suffered. “Watermelon is an enormous bruiser and extra fragile than you suppose,” 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. (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. “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 laborious to evaluate. “I’ve thumped this stuff to the top 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 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 might not have had sufficient time within the subject 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 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 absolutely ripened. Some melons have just a little dried up stem tail nonetheless connected, just like the one pictured above, making it simple to visually affirm that the stem was brown and shriveled. Some watermelons barely have a stem left, but when they had been picked too quickly, you possibly can see tears alongside one facet the place it was ripped off the vine (beneath).

Strong Striping

“Take a look at the striping sample,” says Perkins-Veazie. “Properly-developed stripes imply it is extra prone to be ripe.” That is true of the watermelons obtainable to most customers, however there are heirloom varieties with out stripes, so this tip gained’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

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

Heavy Weight

In response to the consultants, the watermelon that feels heaviest for its measurement is probably going the juiciest. The simplest means is to select up a number of watermelons to match. I recommend operating by means of all the ideas above first that can assist you weed out the watermelons value lifting.

Sugar Crystals (For Choosing Lower Watermelon)

If you happen to 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 nice. 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 select 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 test all of the packing 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 had been missing in sweetness or succulence. 

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

Many of the suggestions had been simple to evaluate (particularly once 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 attempting to gauge which of them had been “heavy for his or her measurement.” This tip is simpler stated than achieved with the large 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 select up. The size at checkout helped me affirm that my prized watermelon was certainly heavier than my second choose by 12 ounces. Nonetheless, in spite of everything that, once I cut the two open at residence, the lighter watermelon was sweeter. 

All however one among my melons had lovely, crisp, damage-free flesh, which implies the thumping check possible works. I’m no baller, however I’ve bounced a number of basketballs in my life, and Truong’s analogy was spot on. When tapped, a number 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, one among my minis had compromised flesh.

On the finish of the day, I used to be comfortable 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 purchasing regionally!