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No matter if you're buying watermelons at the grocery store or harvesting some from your garden, knowing how to tell when a watermelon is ripe is crucial for successful purchase and enjoyment. Without knowing this knowledge, unripe fruit may arrive home and disappoint with its lack of flavor, while having these tips when growing your own melons could depend on factors beyond your control such as weather.
There are various methods for testing watermelons for ripeness, though some require more time and patience than others. One popular technique involves looking for the field spot or ground spot on their underside melon; this area that was shaded from plants as it grew will eventually turn dark yellow as the fruit matures and ripens - without this spot, chances are high it was harvested too early and failed to fully ripen before harvest.
Examining the curly tendril closest to the stem can also provide an indicator that the melons are ready for picking; when this tendril turns brown and dries out, this may indicate they're ready. But please keep in mind that this method only works for several days after drying out has occurred; any longer will cause its quality to diminish and possibly make them unripe.
People usually test watermelons by tapping on it; when you tap, its sound should be hollow and deep - similar to tapping your knuckles. If the sound produced is higher-pitched than expected, that indicates that the fruit hasn't fully ripened yet and might still be too raw to enjoy.
Alsberg recently discovered an effective tip that involves visually inspecting watermelons for webbing, which consists of webby areas on their rind that indicate when they're ready to be enjoyed; more webbing means sweeter flavor! Scaly spots may be difficult to detect so inspect carefully to spot.
Other tests include analyzing a watermelon's weight and stem color. Ripe watermelons will have an extremely heavy for their size weight distribution, an indicator that they contain plenty of moisture inside, with brown-colored stems rather than bright green ones. Some people also believe the color of its attachment point can provide clues to its ripeness: A green attachment point indicates it was harvested too soon before fully ripening has taken place.
No matter which tests you employ, it's essential to remember that watermelon sweetness depends on its age of harvest rather than how long it sits on your counter. Therefore, it is usually best to enjoy it soon after its harvest date; although other tasty summer treats exist too! For anyone interested in growing their own melons at home, check out our article on How to Grow Watermelons.
