Is your watermelon is ripe enough?

Everybody loves summer and great sweet and refreshing fruits. Watermelon is especially refreshing and well connected to summer fun. Watermelon is full of water but it tastes great. It is basically a drink with no fat. But to make it worth it, you need to have a ripe watermelon and you need to know how to choose a ripe one. If a watermelon is not ripe enough you will not get all the benefits you are looking for. So, how can you tell a well-ripen watermelon? Does taping and knocking work?

Tapping a watermelon is for serious connoisseurs only

Tapping is probably the least accurate way to determine the ripeness of a watermelon. If you are a real expert and have years of experience and have a very good hearing you can do that. A hollow sound indicates that a watermelon is overripe and hard and resonant sound indicates that it is not ripe enough. It should be somewhere in the middle to have a properly ripe watermelon.

Photo: Pixabay

The size and shape of the watermelon is important

Many people tend to think that the bigger the watermelon, the more ripe it is. That is not true. Large watermelon needs more time to ripe and if it is really huge it may not have enough time to ripen even under optimal conditions. If you can, go for a medium size watermelon that weights from 4 to 7 kg. The shape should be symmetrical without any cracks or depressions. If you notice a soft skin do not take it. It is usually a sign of a rotten piece. What about if you have two watermelons of the same size but different weight? Well, get the heavier one, it should contain more juice.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Can you tell whether a watermelon is ripe by its colour?

The ideal colour is a dull dark green with lighter or darker stripes. It depends on the variety. Watermelon should not be too shiny. If it is, it may not be ripe enough. Yellowish stripes are more important than shiny appearance though, as well as the yellow area where watermelon was lying. Yellow spot indicates that it was harvested rather later then sooner.

Photo: Pixabay

Check the stem to find out the ripeness

Not every watermelon sold in stores has a stem. However, if you find one with a green stem, it is probably not ripe. A dried and yellowish stem indicates that watermelon should be ripe enough.If you notice a small depression in place of the stem, the watermelon should be pretty sweet.

Source: nasregion.cz, permazahrada.cz, ireceptar.cz

Preview photo: Radek Štěpán