My daughter is on a watermelon kick. When she’s on it, I’m on it. Though we struggle to find the perfect watermelon. She was not happy with the last one we got (she is pretty picky). All we want is the best piece of watermelon money can buy. You walk into your local supermarket and you see a monolithic bin of watermelons.
Which one do you choose?
Some people go with the knocking method, although this requires a great ear and a bit of an imagination, because there’s NO science behind it. However, they say that “a ripe watermelon will have a dull, hollow sound.” Whereas, an “immature watermelon will have a higher-pitched ping sound.”
(Now I’m just imagining a bratty, immature watermelon. “But I don’t WANT to get in the car.”)
But, according to the folks at SimplyRecipes.com, here are the things you need to look for when trying to buy the perfect watermelon:
1. Look for a yellowish spot underneath. This is called the “field spot” or “ground spot”. If it’s ripe, it will be a pale, buttery yellow. If that spot is light green or white instead, then it has not ripened yet.
2. Choose the ones with brown, coarse webbing on the outside. There’s a good chance they’re perfectly ripe and even sweeter, too. (Here’s a picture.)
3. Avoid the watermelons with any visible cuts, dents, or bruising. Some minor scratching is OK, but anything worse than that, it’s no good.
4. Buy them in season. The best time to buy a watermelon is roughly April to September. So, go get you some!
