It’s tough to explain the style of watermelon, as a result of nothing tastes fairly prefer it. To me, a wonderfully ripe watermelon hits you first with a recent 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 bear in mind the final time I used to be in a position to 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 varied watermelon consultants who gave me 9 tricks to improve my probabilities 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 business manufacturing), most of the melons in these shops might be duds, so the percentages are stacked towards you. 

“Watermelon growers harvest thousands and thousands of tons weekly, so that they’re going by means of the sector and choosing all the pieces, not solely those which can 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 think about 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 big. Something under 80% ripe isn’t 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 probably 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 could discover watermelons in lots of sizes (from mini to further 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 can be cultivated for his or her sugary flesh—not their capacity to outlive a cross-country highway journey.

Nonetheless, it’s potential to discover a candy and ripe watermelon at a grocery store, you simply must be extra prudent when choosing.

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 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 employ would possibly get you a 5 to 10% higher choice, however add all the guidelines collectively, and ultimately you are going to have a watermelon that’s possibly 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’s going to soften, and the feel could enhance somewhat bit, however it should by no means get sweeter,” says Amy Goldman, an heirloom seed preservationist and writer of The Melon. “What you decide is what you get.”

Matte Pores and skin

Search for a watermelon with boring, waxy-looking pores and skin. “If it seems 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 generally be too delicate, even for her, so don’t spend an excessive amount of time on this one. Whereas procuring, I seen most watermelons on the retailer regarded 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 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 harm 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 primarily assessing for reverb. “When a watermelon has a bruised half, the water separates from the flesh, so it absorbs sound,” says Truong. “If you faucet it, you need it to sound even and for the vibration to bounce again like a basketball.”

However to be clear, this is usually a tough sound to detect, and a few by no means handle to listen to the distinction. Even the professionals admit it’s fairly exhausting 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 facet. “The spot is the place it rested on the bottom,” says Goldman. “The spot’s coloration ought 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 area if it is white. Webbing on the spot can also be a wonderful 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 absolutely ripened. Some melons have somewhat dried up stem tail nonetheless hooked up, 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 have been picked too quickly, you’ll be able to see tears alongside one facet the place it was ripped off the vine (under).

Strong Striping

“Have 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 out there 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 include an excessive amount of yellow, the fruit could also be overripe.

Rugged Ridges

“In the event you take a look at watermelons intently, they’ve delicate ridges referred to as veins that run the size of the watermelon,” says Perkins-Veazie. If the ridges look effectively 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. In the event you can’t see them clearly, really feel for them.

Heavy Weight

In response to the consultants, the watermelon that feels heaviest for its dimension is probably going the juiciest. The best method is to select up a number of watermelons to check. I counsel operating by means of all the guidelines above first that can assist you weed out the watermelons price lifting.

Sugar Crystals (For Deciding on Minimize Watermelon)

In the event 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 nice. Within the picture above, for instance, the flesh across the seeds appear 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 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 constantly picked nice watermelons. It’s true what the consultants 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 nearly as good.

Many of the ideas have been simple to evaluate (particularly once I paid no thoughts to the produce staff teasing me for spending 20 minutes choosing 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 stated than accomplished with the large watermelons. You may’t actually decide 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 select up. The dimensions at checkout helped me affirm that my prized watermelon was certainly heavier than my second decide by 12 ounces. Nonetheless, in any case that, once I reduce the 2 open at house, the lighter watermelon was sweeter. 

All however considered one of my melons had lovely, crisp, damage-free flesh, which suggests the thumping take a look at 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, considered one of my minis had compromised flesh.

On the finish of the day, I used to be blissful to know nice watermelons can nonetheless be discovered on the retailer, however I used to be much more elated to discover a watermelon with numerous 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!