What To Know When Choosing The Tastiest Watermelon At The Store
NEWS
By ELIAS NASH
Weight & Shape
A ripe watermelon should have some serious mass to it. You want a watermelon that is heavier than it looks, indicating that it is saturated with sweet juice.
You want to get a watermelon that is uniform on all sides with a smooth surface. Lumpy melons may be discolored on the inside, and an unripe melon will be pointy at the ends.
Rind
A fully-ripe watermelon should have a dark green, matte surface. On the top of the melon, the stem that once held it to the vine should be completely dry and brown.
On the bottom, there is a patch of yellow skin called a field spot. This is the most important indicator of sweetness, as it means that the watermelon spent a long time on the vine.
Sound
If tapping the melon produces a low, hollow sound, that indicates that it is ripe. If the melon produces a higher-pitched tapping sound, it has not had time to fully ripen.
However, this might be the least effective method you can use. The sound difference between a ripe watermelon and an unripe one can be very subtle and thus difficult to perceive.
