The best watermelon of the lot: how to choose it at the grocery shops?

Watermelons are rehydrating and also nutritious. They are delicious but provided one chooses the fruit of the right sweetness and maturity.

The unripe watermelons could taste bland and distasteful. It is a skill to select the good watermelons out of the many that one sees in the market on the shelves and baskets there. How to choose the best watermelon at the grocery shops?

Watermelons and their kinds

Watermelons are extremely tasteful fruits. They are good for summer since they have a lot of water. Around 92% of the fruit is made up of water.

Therefore, it is rehydrating and can quench the thirst. At the same time, watermelons are also nutritious. They contain a lot of minerals and vitamins that are beneficial for the body and health.

They have phytochemicals in them such as carotenoids and antioxidants. All of these are nutrients that enter the body and prevent cell damage. They also are useful to reduce the risk of chronic diseases that come up with age.

In grocery stores and supermarkets, there are several watermelons kept for sale. It becomes a difficult task to pick up the best watermelon amongst them.

One can never know what one is buying until after cutting it and seeing the inside. But this is not possible at the shops.

Then, how does one choose the best of the lot? Luckily there are certain tips to assist in selecting the watermelon with the right ripeness and sweetness.

How to choose the best watermelon?

To choose the best of this refreshing fruit, follow these tips. Expert dietitian Lauren Manaker has some secrets on selecting the right watermelon for you.

The outside color of the fruit

Watermelons are green in color on the exterior. But it is important to also look at the ground spot or underbelly of the watermelon.

This is the part of the fruit that is away from the sunlight and facing the ground. It is not exposed to the sun. Therefore, it acquires a yellow color. Lauren explains:

“The underbelly, or ground spot, should not be orange,”

Further, she adds:

“A watermelon is likely overripe if the underbelly looks sunflower yellow or nearly orange. If its ground spot appears too light or even white, the watermelon might be underripe—and if so, will probably taste more like a cucumber.”

She clarifies:

“Butter yellow is ideal.”

Stems of the watermelon

A dried watermelon stem means it is ripe while a green stem implies that it is raw. But often, one does not find the stem on the watermelon. Lauren explains:

“Some people say to look for a dried stem, but not all watermelons are cut with excess stem even showing,”

“So, that [method] is a favorite of a particular farmer—not something we can use at the store,”

Nearness to other fruits especially bananas

Lauren states that also checks where the watermelons are kept in the shop or supermarket before buying. If they are near bananas, the ethylene oxide gas emitted by the bananas can spoil the watermelons. Hence better to not buy them. As per Lauren,

“When shopping for watermelon, one tip is to make sure your melon isn’t housed near the bananas at the store.”

“Make sure you keep your watermelon away from bananas once you’re home, too,”

Another thing to remember while purchasing watermelons is that the pattern or stripes on them do not indicate ripeness or goodness. There is no correlation between their stripes and goodness. She elaborates:

“Despite what you may hear on social media, striping is not an indicator of ripeness,” 

“The reality is, some watermelon varieties don’t even have stripes, and others naturally contain thick ones.”

Read more: How to make Watermelon Gazpacho? (Refreshing, Cool, and Savory)

And despite taking all precautions and applying these tips, watermelons can still fool the buyer. Lauren adds:

“Even if you follow all of the rules for picking the best watermelon, on occasion, Mother Nature can trick you,”

“You can still be stuck with a less-than-ideal watermelon, even if it checks all of the ‘best’ boxes.”