Picking Out a Good Watermelon--A True Challenge!

Picking out a good watermelon can be a crapshoot!  I bought one the other day that fit all the criteria to about 90%.  It was sooo good.  These photos, however, are NOT of that melon, but the closer you can meet the following criteria, the better chance you have of a good one with pleasing texture and flavor.  

SHAPE:  

• Is the melon misshapen or well formed

Exterior:  

• If it is a striped variety, are the stripes fairly evenly distributed? 

• Does the exterior have a fresh and firm appearance or a wrinkled state? 

• Are there any soft spots--avoid those. 

• You may find small spots of what looks like dried syrup which are called "sugar spots". Often a sign of sweetness, but not necessarily of flavor or texture.

• Minor blemishes and scratches do not generally affect the quality.

• Seedless varieties are often less flavorful.

• Yellow spots or a yellow tinge to the green can mean the melon stayed too long in the field and might be sunburned or that it is past the prime.  (You might find a slimey or grainy interior even if flavor and sweetness is good.)

THE "BELLY":  That portion of the watermelon that was on the ground and didn't get the sun. 

This pic should appear a little more yellow

• A good smooth and creamy yellow will be preferred to a very yellow.  Too much white or a green tinge will often prove an melon that hasn't developed it's sweetness or color.  In the picture (which doesn't show the degree of yellowness that was there) the blemishes aren't that important. Though there could be some yellowing and brown spotting in the interior white section of the rind, doesn't usually affect the flavor too much.

WEIGHT: 

• A melon should feel heavier than it looks. You are looking for weight due to "water weight".  More weight, all other things considered, should be nice and juicy.

 THE WATERMELON "TAP", "PAT", OR "THUMP": 

• You may have seen crazy people (like me) patting or thumping melons.  This takes practice. You are feeling and listening for a reverberation and a heavy sound.  If the flesh is firm and the juice is full, there is a peculiarly distinct feel and sound.  When you can identify that (all other considerations being good) when you cut into the melon it will often split on it's own.  THAT is very often a GOOD sign. 

 I knew when I bought the watermelon pictured here that the reverberation did not match what I wanted, but was the only one I could find that was near what I wanted.  I also noted that it was a bit too "yellow", but all the melons were like this or worse. It did have a good shape, good weight, and a fresh "skin" with evenly distributed stripes. 

Hopefully, this will help you pick out a good melon.  Also, a good judgement of what will be inside a melon is to have a look at some of the pre-cut melons.  If they all seem to be mushy, grainy, or not red enough...that is probably what yours will look like too. 

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