Have you ever wondered exactly How to Choose the Perfect Watermelon? Last week I was needing to purchase Watermelon for my yummy Watermelon Sorbet that I shared with you. Normally the hubby is the one who chooses the fruits and veggies at the store. I quickly was curious as to how you actually choose the perfect watermelon. My son put together a list of a few ways for us to choose the perfect watermelon while shopping this summer.
How To Choose The Perfect Watermelon
Feel the weight: Since a watermelon is mostly made of, well, water, it should be pretty heavy for it’s size. To be even more brief, if it looks like it weighs 25 pounds and weighs 7, skip out on it; and if it looks like a 7 and is actually 25, it’s a keeper.
Check the watermelon’s shape: The ideal watermelon will be very uniform and similar all around; free of any major bumps or irregularities. While it may rarely affect the melon, it’s usually beneficial to pick a melon that is free of any scratches or bruises; a scratch or two is fine, if they’re not too deep, but if you’re seeing a deep scratch, forget about it.
The “Ground Spot”: This is one of the most sure-fire ways of picking the best watermelon. What you’re hoping for is a creamy yellow, maybe even a sort of beige tinted spot on the bottom of your melon. If there’s even a bit of green to the spot, the watermelon is not as ripe as it should have been. White spots are also undesirable and should be avoided as well
Check The Skin: The perfect melon will have a fine skin; not too bright, but not too dull. If the skin is overly bright, the melon isn’t ripe enough, if it’s overly dull, it’s likely overly ripe.
The “Bump Test”: While it is now generally discouraged, you could always resort to the classic knocking test. Put the melon a couple inches from your ear and give it light rap with your knuckles; if it sounds fairly solid, it’s not ripe enough. What you’re looking for is a hollow-sounding melon. This test is discouraged, however, because sound is very subjective; we hear what we want to hear, in a sense; so you’re better off trusting in the other methods mentioned above than you are in the “Bump Test.”
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