If you walk by the watermelons on a summer day, you’ll probably see people picking them up, thumping them or tapping them to try to get the perfect fruit.
While trying to find the sweetest watermelon is always difficult, experts do have a few recommendations.
The easiest way to identify a possible ripe watermelon is by its shape and weight. You want the fruit to be heavy, symmetrical and smooth.
When examining a watermelon, is check the spot where it has been resting. A yellow-white spot means ripeness and white or pale suggest it could be immature. You can also test the ripeness by scratching the surface. If the outer layer peels with little resistance, showing a green-white rind, the fruit is ripe.
Many have also read about using hollowness to test the ripeness. Some experts believe that a hollow sound does indicate ripeness, while others say it is unnecessary.
On the inside, a good indicator of a ripe watermelon is more red flesh and dark seeds as white seeds indicate the fruit is immature.
Additionally, if a watermelon is not as mature as it should be, not all hope is lost. At room temperature, a watermelon can ripen more in a few days.
You can find more watermelon resources here.