Are you among the one who gets stressed everytime on selecting the ripen watermelon from the bunch ? If so, worry no more! We are bringing some helpful tips that will guide you to take a delicious watermelon. You will no more be disappointed with your unripe (whitish flesh) or overripe watermelon.
Many of us might relate to the story of throwing out the watermelon after buying the under ripe one since it tastes like a crunchy watermelon rind cucumber,
Watermelon is a nutrient rich fruit that is bright red and incredibly juicy. When ripe, it offers an excellent amount of naturally occurring antioxidants, such as lycopene, which has been connected to a number of health advantages, including defence against diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer.
The best way to check whether the watermelon is ripe or not is after buying and taking it home. However, today we are going to discuss some tips that will help you to take delicious watermelons to home.
1. Look for field spot
It is the spot in the watermelon where it rested on the ground. Search for a dark yellowish spot. It is the first and the biggest indicator of good watermelon.
If the spot is large, it means that it spent more time ripening on the vine and must be full of flavour. A watermelon with white spot indicates that it hasn’t ripened yet, it was picked too soon.
2. Look for symmetrical shape:
Watermelon comes in different shapes and sizes ranging from oval, round to elongated. Whatever shape or size you choose, always look for the symmetricity. Just avoid odd shapes and irregular bumps and cuts.
3. Colour of the skin
Dark and dull skin indicates a ripe watermelon. If the skin is bright or shiny it is not ripe.
4. Examine the weight
A watermelon that feels heavy for its size than it actually looks indicates more water content and is juicier. Avoid such watermelons that are too large and don’t weigh as heavy as they look.
5. Tapping technique
Hold the watermelon close to your ear and knock it with your knuckle or tap by palm, the deep metallic like sound indicates that the watermelon is ripe while hollow or flat sound indicates the less ripened watermelon.
6. Look for webbing or sugar spots
If you see brownish-black web-like spots on the watermelon, it means that the melon is seeping out the sugar. It is an indication of sweet watermelons. It may look like dirt at a glance. Larger webbing means much sweeter.
Being non-climacteric it doesn’t continue to ripen post-harvest thus, a fully ripe watermelon should be choosed. The ripening process stops as they are detached from the vines. You can’t leave them in the kitchen hoping they will ripen after choosing an unripe watermelon. Thus, the above mentioned tips can be followed in order to ensure the buying of ripe and sweet watermelons.