Watermelon just screams ‘Merica! Find a deliciously sweet and juicy one and your tribe will go back for THIRDS. Get a dud and there’s just no point in living. As a mom, it's pretty much my patriotic duty to pick the perfect in the batch, and I’ve learned a thing or two to protect my rep at the family picnic.
Watermelons are harvested before their prime ripeness (as most fruit is) to allow time to go to market. Watermelons in the same crate probably came from the same field which means they were harvested at the same time. So the larger ones In the crate had a little more growing time than the smaller ones. Pick the larger ones. Darker green watermelons are riper than lighter green ones. Pick the darker ones.
Next, you know how you see those professional watermelon pickers in the store rapping on the side of the thing? Well, there’s a reason for this. It’s a good indicator of the ripeness relative to the other watermelons in the batch. It doesn’t tell you if the watermelon is ripe, only if it's more or less ripe than the others. When you thump the side, listen for the lowest (a deep hollow sound) in the batch. This will be the most ripe. Pick the ones with the lowest sound.
Lastly, look for a yellow splotch. This is from resting on the ground and when it’s a creamy yellow color, it's ripe.
Happy Fourth of July!!
