If you love watermelon, you're probably familiar with the struggle to pick out a good watermelon at the grocery store. Nothing is worse than coming home with a fresh watermelon, only to realize it's almost flavorless. After some serious research, I figured out how to pick a watermelon at the grocery store that's sweet and juicy. As long as you do the following four things, you're almost guaranteed to choose a good one.
1. Pick it Up and Feel the Size
Try to choose a watermelon that's neither the largest nor the smallest. It's better for it to be average-sized. When you pick it up, it should feel heavy for its size (an indication of all the juice inside). A good watermelon contains about 90% water, and the ripest ones have the most water.
2. Look for the Field Spot
The field spot, or the yellow spot, is the place where the watermelons rest on the ground. Ripe watermelons usually have creamy yellow or orange-yellow splotches, which indicates that it ripened in the sun, instead of completely white spots signaling that it was picked early.
3. Look for the Webbing
The web-like, brown "scars" on a watermelon are created when bees pollinate the flower and scar the membranes that forms the fruit later on. The more webbing it has, the more pollination it received, and the sweeter the watermelon is.
4. Tap it
Put the watermelon two inches from your ear and thump it with your free hand. If it's not ripe enough, it'll sound dull; if it's too ripe, it'll sound thick. However, if it's perfect, it will sound deep and hollow.
Easy Watermelon Recipes
Watermelon season is from May to September, depending on where you live. What do you do after you've learned how to pick a watermelon? How to serve it, of course! Aside from just cutting them open and eating them in slices, here are a couple of easy recipes that'll refresh you this summer.
This simple watermelon sorbet will keep you cool during the hot summer months. Within only four steps, this sorbet will be ready to be scooped and enjoyed.
If you love fruit roll-ups, you're going to love these watermelon fruit leather strips. They're not only healthy, but are also easy to make with just two ingredients. They're perfect for a snack on a road trip or on the beach.
Want a lighter alternative to a heavy, mayonnaise-based salad? Give this watermelon salad a go. The watermelon adds a soft sweetness to the savory dish, and the mint will cool you down immediately.
Watermelon-feta cups are perfect appetizers for a pool party at your house. It only uses three ingredients, and you can throw them together in no time to produce these adorable salad cups for anyone who enjoys fruits.
Fresh watermelon can be used in many delicious, healthy recipes (of course, it's also tasty if you enjoy watermelon straight up). But the key step to making these recipes is to pick out a perfect watermelon in your local grocery store. Next time you go grocery shopping and see some watermelons lying around, make sure to use these steps to check out if they're the best or not.