There's nothing better than a juicy, delicious watermelon but picking a perfectly juicy and sweet watermelon can seem like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Should you knock on it? Weigh it? Take a wild guess? If you’re like most people, you could use a few tips when at the market. Picking out a watermelon that will satisfy your cravings can be done with just a few simple pro tips! There is a science to it all check out these easy steps and you could be on your way to a delicious treat.
- Field Spots- This is the creamy or yellow part of the watermelon’s shell. This is the part that rested on the ground during the growing process. Avoid ones with white spots, that is a tel-tale sign that the watermelon was plucked from the vine before its time. A nice dark yellow spot is a mark in the positive column
- Webbing- Forget spiders its the bees that are responsible for this web. Excess pollination will create lots of brown webbing. A large amount of webbing is your clue that the inside is ripe and sweet.
- Gender- Yes, believe it or not watermelon has a gender. The tall – or long ones - are males. If the watermelon is plump, round or stout, it’s classified as a female. If you are thinking the girl is sweeter than you are correct. If you can't determine the shape and it looks a little "bow-legged" this is a sign that it probably struggled for sunlight and water. Hard pass!!!
- Size - In the case of watermelon sizes doesn't matter. A big one isn’t necessarily the tastiest or the best. The best ones are average in size. Think of Goldilocks as a general rule...you don't want one too big or too small. You want one that is just right!
- Weight- Pick up the melon and if it feels heavy for its size that could mean extra juice!!! More bounce to the ounce!
- Tail- If your watermelon happens to have a tail notice the color, If it’s green, skip it. That is an indicator that it isn’t quite ripe. Instead, go with the one that has no tail at all. If it has an indentation at the top even better. That usually means it most likely fell off the vine on its on after it was really ripe.
Happy Hunting!!!