The best time to buy a watermelon is late summer and the first half of autumn. But in the majority of “early” watermelons, the growth of which is stimulated by nitrogen fertilizers, there are often a lot of nitrates.
How to distinguish edible watermelons from nitrate ones?
External signs of nitrate watermelon
Sound method… If you knock on a nitrate watermelon, then the sound will be like tapping on a deflated ball, in addition, when squeezed, such a watermelon will not crack, unlike a ripe “healthy” watermelon.
Spot method… Examine the watermelon to see if it has a so-called “earthen spot” – it is obtained from lying on the ground where the watermelon touches the soil. If there is no stain, then the watermelon definitely did not last for a certain period and simply did not have time to acquire it. Color also plays an important role – the brighter and clearer the pattern of the peel of the watermelon, the more chances that the watermelon is naturally grown in front of you.
Moreover, the earthen spot at the bottom of the side should be yellow, not white.
Internal signs of nitrate watermelon
- The most correct way to determine the nitrate content in a watermelon is, of course, by cutting it.
- The flesh of a healthy watermelon should be sugar-rich, while that of a nitrate one is often too glossy.
- If yellow or, even worse, purple streaks are found in the pulp, it is better to discard the watermelon – it is nitrate. The flesh should be red, but not pale pink.
- Having crumbled the watermelon pulp into a glass of water, pay attention to what color the water has become, if it is pink, you should get rid of the watermelon, and if it is just cloudy, the watermelon is quite suitable for food.
Delicious watermelons without nitrates!