Pick a Dull Looking Watermelon – A shiny appearance indicates an underripe melon. Knock on It with Your Knuckles – Your knuckles should bounce off the melon, and the surface should be pretty hard/firm. Soft flesh indicates it’s starting to spoil.
How do you pick a firm watermelon?
A ripe watermelon should have a thick rind that doesn’t give easily when pressured. The ones that do are generally overripe. Also, if you scratch it with your thumbnail, you shouldn’t be able to cut through it. A ripe watermelon should have a firm rind that doesn’t give to pressure and is not easily scratched.
How do you pick a crisp watermelon?
You should pick a melon that has a strong, consistent stripe pattern. The green stripes should be a deep, dark green, while the pale stripes should be a creamy, light yellow. Additionally, you may want to choose a dull-looking watermelon. If the melon is very shiny, it is likely underripe.
Why does my watermelon have a mushy texture?
Watermelons that are too ripe have soft, mushy flesh. This can be a simple case of ripe turning to riper. While an experienced grower can determine the ripeness of a watermelon from outside appearance alone, it is not always an easy task.
How do you tell if a watermelon is juicy or not?
Tip 3: Look for a dull and heavy watermelon
A shiny melon indicates the insides are under ripe. Also, the best melon of the bunch will most likely be heavier than the rest. On average, a watermelon is 92% water, which makes them so juicy. A heavier melon likely holds more water, which will make it juicier.
How do you pick a good watermelon at 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.
What color watermelon is the sweetest?
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 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 watermelon supposed to be crunchy?
Knock on It with Your Knuckles – Your knuckles should bounce off the melon, and the surface should be pretty hard/firm. Soft flesh indicates it’s starting to spoil. Get the Heaviest One for Its Size – This applies to pretty much all produce, but you want to pick the watermelon that is the heaviest one for its size.
What does webbing on watermelon mean?
PA Department of Agriculture on Twitter: “The webbing on a watermelon, the more a bee pollinated the flower. The more pollination, the sweeter the fruit!
What to do with watermelon that is mushy?
If your watermelon is mealy, it’s still safe to eat. To save the situation, you’ll want to use the mealy watermelon in recipes where crisp texture isn’t a factor. And that means pulling out the blender (try this top-rated blender from Cuisinart) and giving the offending melon a fast ride to purée town.
When should you not eat a watermelon?
The easiest way to tell is to check the skin for any soggy spots and patches of greenish-blue, black, or white mold. Even if the exterior looks OK, there’s a chance that the fruit could have gone bad. If the flesh has noticeable dark spots or is covered in anything slimey, you should toss it.
Can you juice mushy watermelon?
Super ripe melon is actually ideal for making agua fresca, so if you end up with one that’s overripe and mealy, think about doing this first. To make melon agua fresca, put your melon in a blender with sugar, water, and lime juice, and blend until smooth.
How do you tell if a watermelon is ripe at the store?
Tricks to Tell if a Watermelon is Ripe
- The green color becomes dull.
- On a striped melons, the color between the stripes gets darker.
- The rind will get hard.
- The blossom end will soften.
- They will stop getting larger.
- The ground spot will turn from white to yellow.
What does under ripe watermelon look like?
Ground Spots and Sugar Spots
If you can’t find the ground spot, it’s likely that the melon was harvested too soon and didn’t have a chance to fully ripen. Or, if there is a ground spot but it’s more white than yellow, that is also an indication that it may have been picked from the vine too early.
How do you pick a ripe watermelon one time?
Look for one that’s deep green instead of light or yellowish (which means it probably didn’t spend enough time on the vine). Search the rind for the ground spot (aka the area where the melon touched the ground as it grew). If the patch is a cream or yellow tone, the watermelon is ripe.
Where is the watermelon capital of the world?
Cordele, also known as “The Watermelon Capital of the World”, is a city in Crisp County, Georgia, United States. The population was 11,608 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Crisp County.
What state grows the best watermelon?
— Summer means relaxing by the pool, barbeques and refreshing slices of watermelon and no one produces more of this favorite summertime fruit than Florida. The Sunshine State is the top producer of watermelon in the United States.
Are dark 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.
Why is my watermelon orange on the inside?
The sweet fruits are similar to red-fleshed watermelons in consistency and outward appearance, but they lack the antioxidant known as lycopene, which gives the red-fleshed varieties their pigmented hue.
What kind of watermelon is solid green?
6. ‘Sugar Baby‘: This cultivar belongs to the group of so-called icebox watermelons, which are usually no larger than ten pounds—small enough to easily keep in your refrigerator. It is distinctly round in shape with a solid dark green exterior and bright red flesh.