So this post was inspired by a simple text from friend of mine asking how to tell if a watermelon is ripe, most likely during a panicked moment at the grocery store shopping for fruit and feeling totally clueless over which to pick. In the minds of a good number of melon lovers, nothing nice more than a crunchy and sweet watermelon. Additionally, there is nothing quite disappointing more than biting into something you thought was ripe but only to be presented with the flavorless and bland taste of unripe melon.
We’ve all been there. I know I’ve been guilty of picking up some fruit from the farmer’s market, only to be highly disappointed at my choice of a unripe, barely edible piece of fruit that I was so looking forward to sinking my teeth into. I’ve since learned that there are some key things to do to determine whether or not your fruit is ripe. Likewise, the storage and growing conditions make a big difference when it comes to the texture and flavor of watermelon in particular. On that note, here are some essential tips I’ve gathered around the web on how to tell if a watermelon is ripe.
How to tell if a watermelon is ripe
Look for the spot
The pale yellow place on the rind is primarily the first indicator to tell you if your watermelon is ripe and ready to be sliced open. The spot is generally an indicator that the melon was left in the sun to mature and it’s now available for consumption. If your melon lacks a yellow place, then its ripeness is doubtful.
Listen to the sound
This is a classic way of distinguishing between ripe and unripe watermelon. The web is full of descriptions of the sounds you ought to expect when you thumb your melon. A well-ripen melon should have a thick and pleasant sound, like knocking on the door or a drum.
Make sure it’s heavy
Weight is another important determinant of the ripeness of a watermelon. If you pick up a melon and find that it feels more cumbersome than it looks then you have gotten the right thing. The larger a watermelon is, the better. Its heaviness shows that it’s ripe enough to be sliced open.
Tips to find ripeness of other favorite seasonal fruits
Check their color:
In a good number of seasonal fruits color shows if they are or not ready to be eaten. Always pick the more vibrant fruits, and you would have hit the jackpot.
You can smell the fruit:
An aroma indicates the amount of flavor your fruit will have. The stronger the aroma, the better the fruit.
Use the face test:
This applies to fruits such as peaches, avocados, kiwis, mango and many other nuts. If the fruit feels like the end of your nose it’s ripe, if it’s soft like your cheek, it’s past its prime time, and if it’s hard and solid like your forehead, then it’s not ripe.
Wrinkling: Bad for fruits like apricot and peach. On the other hand fruits like satsuma mandarin and passion, fruits are riper when they have more wrinkles.
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With the above tips, you can establish if your fruit is ripe, unripe or past its prime ripe time. However, keep in mind that the tips differ from one fruit to another. With the watermelon, the three above discussed tips are the major and most recommended ones.
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