If you’re at the grocery store looking for a nice, ripe yellow watermelon, check for melons that have a creamy yellowish spot on the rind.
What does a ripe yellow watermelon look like?
A yellow spot is a good sign that the watermelon was left to ripen on the vine long enough. A ripe melon will have a buttery or creamy yellow field spot along its belly, and a less ripe melon will typically have a white field spot.
How can you tell a yellow watermelon from a red watermelon?
The pigment compound found in red watermelon is lycopene, while the yellow watermelon contains beta-carotene, the same chemical that gives the carrot its color. In addition to these different basic chemical compounds, yellow watermelon also has a sweeter taste and thicker skin than red watermelon.
What is the difference between yellow watermelon and regular watermelon?
So what’s the difference between red and yellow and why should you give yellow watermelon a try? Red watermelons contain a chemical called lycopene that produces the red colour in fruits and vegetables like tomatoes. The lack of lycopene in yellow watermelon results in their yellow flesh.
Is it okay for watermelon to be yellow?
Yellow watermelon does not contain lycopene, and as a result, it never turns red. Instead, it is high in beta-carotene, the same antioxidant that gives cantaloupes, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes their signature colors. Yellow watermelons are not only delicious, but they also offer numerous health benefits.
What does unripe watermelon look like?
Look at the Belly
Watermelons have an underside, or belly—which is in contact with the ground throughout its growth—called a “field spot.” This spot on a ripe watermelon will be yellowish (sometimes referred to as “buttery”) and not white, which indicates an unripe melon.
What color watermelon is the sweetest?
yellow
According to the experts at the Watermelon Board, yellow and orange watermelons are generally sweeter than those with pink or red flesh. Seedless watermelons tend to have a crisper texture than those with seeds, they add.
What color watermelon is the healthiest?
Loaded With Lycopene
Studies show it may help curb your risk of cancer and diabetes as part of a healthy lifestyle. Watermelon has more of this nutrient than any other fruit or veggie — even tomatoes. To load up on lycopene, choose a melon with bright red flesh rather than yellow or orange. And the riper, the better.
Is yellow watermelon more expensive?
Generally, it is no more expensive to buy a yellow watermelon than a pink or red one because they require the same amount of growing space, fertilizer, and time to grow. Seeded watermelon and watermelon without seeds are often easy to find in grocery shops or farmers markets.
What is the yellow watermelon called?
Botanically, yellow watermelons are known as Citrullus lanatus and are part of the Cucurbitaceae family (via Specialty Produce), making this particular fruit a gourd, and a kissing cousin to pumpkins and squashes (via Britannica).
How can you tell if a watermelon is ripe and sweet?
Look for an orange creamy field spot. The darker yellow field spot usually means it was on the vine longer and is full of flavor. If the field spot is white that’s a sign that the melon is not quite ripe. Larger “webbing” or “sugar spots” means that the melon is seeping out sugar and is usually the sign of sweet melon.
Is yellow watermelon good for diabetics?
Watermelon is safe for people with diabetes to eat in moderation. However, it is best to consume watermelon and other high GI fruits alongside foods that contain plenty of nutritious fats, fiber, and protein.
What is the best tasting watermelon?
25 of the Best Watermelon Varieties
- Picnic. Allsweet. Charleston Gray. Crimson Sweet.
- Icebox. Blacktail Mountain. Bush Sugar Baby. Sweet Beauty.
- Personal. Golden Midget. Little Darling.
- Giant. Black Diamond Yellow Belly. Carolina Cross #183.
- Seedless. Big Tasty. Mini Piccolo.
- Orange, Yellow, or White Flesh. Orange Crisp. Orangeglo.
Is yellow watermelon sour?
Yellow watermelons are sweet on their own but can also stand up as a fantastic addition to any fruit salad because they provide just enough tartness to balance out other flavors of fruits.
Do black watermelons exist?
Black Diamond is a classic oblong watermelon with a black-green rind covering bright red, crisp, flavorful flesh. In the 1950s, Black Diamond was a very popular home garden variety. Fruits have gray-black seeds (perfect for seed spitting contests) and can grow quite large.
Is yellow watermelon GMO?
Yellow watermelons are not genetically modified and have been cultivated for thousands of years through seed collection and natural crossbreeding techniques.
How do you quickly ripen a watermelon?
Unlike cantaloupes and certain other fruits, watermelons do not continue to ripen after they are picked. Many websites advise placing your watermelon in a paper bag and leaving it on your counter, but this will have no effect on the watermelon and is a waste of both your time and a paper bag.
Can watermelon ripen after picked?
Some, like watermelon, do not continue to ripen once harvested. Therefore, flavor will not improve nor will they become sweeter—t is what it is at harvest. However, cantaloupe and similar fruit will continue to ripen after harvest.
How do you tell if a watermelon is ripe in the grocery store?
Look for the yellow spot: Watermelons develop a splotch where they rest on the ground. When this splotch is creamy yellow, it’s ripe. Give it a thump: Tap the underbelly of the watermelon. A ripe one will have a deep hollow sound, which means it is brimming with juice and at the peak of its ripeness.
Are darker or lighter watermelons better?
The colour of the rind is extremely important. The ideal, perfectly ripe watermelon should be dark green in colour and dull looking. If it’s shiny, it’s not ripe yet.
What month is watermelon season?
But the best time to buy is between May and September. That’s when production kicks in for the four top watermelon-growing states—Florida, Texas, California, and Georgia—which account for two-thirds of the U.S. crop and keep supermarket bins consistently full.