How to choose a ripe and sweet watermelon

How to distinguish a ripe watermelon

Sound

If you knock on a watermelon, a ripe one will answer you with a ringing sound. And if the answer is deaf, the fruit is not juicy enough. Either it was plucked immature, or it has already begun to dry out from the inside. 

This advice is probably known to everyone. And the most, perhaps, unmistakable. However, many still do not understand: they managed to extract a dull or sonorous sound from a watermelon. Well what can I say? Understanding comes with practice. Knock 10 watermelons, see the difference. 

Peel

A ripe watermelon, which has reached maturity on a melon, has a dark green, dense color. It is difficult to push it with a fingernail. But if the striped was removed from the melons ahead of time, the peel did not have time to gain density and it is easy to scratch it. 

Naturally, in a quality watermelon, the peel should not be scratched, punctured, cracked, should not have brown spots of decay. Cut watermelons and those from which a piece is cut to show the pulp are better not to buy. With a knife, microbes are introduced into the pulp, which immediately begin to work on spoiling the product. If such a watermelon stood in the sun for half a day, it is about to go bad. Well, no one knows how clean the seller’s knife was, whether he brought E. coli into the juicy pulp, for example. 

Yellow spot

Yes, there must be a yellow spot on the green skin of a good watermelon. The brighter and more intensely colored it is, the better. The spot is the place where the watermelon lay on the melon. And if the sun was enough for him, the spot is yellow. If not enough – remains pale, whitish. And the more sun, the sweeter the pulp.

Ponytail and “button” 

Popular wisdom says: a ripe watermelon has a dry tail. Practice shows: while watermelons with melons reach the buyer in central Our Country, the tail will have time to dry out in any case. 

Much more important is the state of the “button” – the place where the tail comes from. This “button” in a ripe watermelon should also be dry, stiff. If you come across a copy with a greenish “button”, look for another product. Maybe even from another seller. 

Pulp

Bright, juicy, upon close examination – grainy. If the cut is smooth, shiny, the berry is either unripe or has begun to ferment. The color of the pulp in different varieties may vary. There are now even yellow watermelons. 

Round or oval

There is an opinion that round watermelons are “girls”, sweeter than oval ones, which supposedly formed from male flowers – “boys”. In fact, the ovaries are only found on female flowers. So they are all girls. Just not everyone has a good “character”. 

Size

It strongly depends on the variety and the place where it was brought from. But if you choose from one batch (and one seller, as a rule, has one batch), you are more likely to run into a ripe watermelon if you buy a copy of a slightly larger than average size. 

It is better not to take giants and scumbags – there is a high risk that they were either plucked green or overfed with chemicals. 

By the way, a ripe watermelon with a large enough size does not weigh too much. The immature has a different density. In water, for example, he will drown. And the mature will emerge. True, and overripe, dried up too. So too light striped should alert. 

The optimal weight is 6 – 9 kg. 

Elasticity

To choose a ripe and sweet watermelon, take it in your hand and slap it on the side with your palm. From a ripe watermelon, you will feel the return with your other hand. It is elastic, springy. An unripe watermelon is soft, the beat in it goes out. 

What are watermelons

There are only two types of watermelon: wild, which grows in Africa, and cultivated – the one that is grown on melons around the world. All the rest, different in external color, flesh color and weight, are varieties and hybrids. 

Fidelity to traditions 

The most popular varieties in Our Country are varieties bred by domestic breeders: Astrakhan, Bykovsky, Chill. These watermelons are round or elongated. Round ones have bright, distinct stripes. For elongated ones, the pattern is not so clear, the stripes can merge with the general color. The flesh is red or bright crimson. Depending on the variety, watermelon may have a thin or, conversely, thicker crust, large black or small gray seeds. 

Sweet exotic

In addition to green-striped ones, there are also watermelons with dark green, white skin and even with a marbled pattern, when green veins form barely noticeable longitudinal stripes against a light background. 

The Japanese variety of black watermelons “densuke” is known. In fact, they are not black at all, just the peel has such a dark shade of green that it visually appears black. Due to their exotic appearance and low production volume, these watermelons are considered the most expensive in the world. 

The color of the pulp of watermelon also varies. In addition to the “classic” red and pink, it can be yellow, orange and white. The most common of the “non-standard” berries with yellow flesh. Previously, they were brought to Our Country from Asian countries, now they are already grown in our country. 

For convenience 

If you do not like picking out the bones from the pulp of a watermelon, try seedless fruits. Opponents of GMO products need not worry: such varieties are the result of selection, not genetic engineering. 

Watermelon is rich in magnesium: 100 grams contains 12 mg of this trace element, which is about 60% of the daily requirement. Magnesium prevents the formation of kidney stones and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the nervous system. It is also necessary for the normal absorption of potassium, sodium, calcium and other beneficial substances. Watermelon is also rich in folic acid, or vitamin B9, which is involved in the work of the human circulatory and immune systems. 

Interestingly, the pulp of watermelon contains the amino acid citrulline. The substance is named after the Latin name for watermelon (citrullus), from which it was first isolated. This amino acid helps dilate blood vessels and prevents muscle pain after exercise.

Eating watermelon is useful for nephritis, gastritis, diseases of the liver and biliary tract, and hypertension.

But there are also contraindications. This berry should not be eaten with kidney stones and gallbladder, some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, with cystitis and prostatitis.

Pregnant women in the later stages should be wary of watermelons. Due to the diuretic effect of these fruits, a woman’s natural urges may occur more often than usual.

Councils of Rospotrebnadzor

Every year, before the start of the season for the sale of watermelons, Rospotrebnadzor specialists warn of important points.

• You need to buy watermelons only in grocery stores, markets and specially equipped gourds. You should not buy watermelons on the roadsides and public transport stops. The berry absorbs harmful substances contained in exhaust gases, so it can be dangerous for humans. 
• The fruits should lie on pallets and under sheds. 
• Sellers must have medical records. 
• Ask to see documents confirming the quality and safety of watermelons and melons: waybill, certificate or declaration of conformity, for imported products – a phytosanitary certificate. The documents should also indicate where the gourds came from. 
• Do not buy a cut or damaged watermelon. In the place of a cut or crack in the bark, harmful microorganisms multiply. Yes, and the knife can be simply dirty. Sellers are forbidden to cut a piece for testing and trade in halves. The ripeness of a watermelon is best checked by tapping. And if you are not sure that you will eat it quickly, it is better to choose a smaller fruit.
• Watermelon or melon should be washed with running water and soap before use.
• Cut fruits are stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day – it is during this time that they need to be eaten. 

Popular questions and answers

We talked about watermelons with  chief physician of the medical nutritional center, Ph.D. Marina Kopytko.