To check a Watermelon will be Sweet without opening it

The look, the weight, the sound and the spot on a watermelon all determine its qualities.

Purchasing a watermelon is kind of a risky investment. It's usually giant, so you're really committing to a lot of fruit. And the thick green rind protecting the pink flesh means there's no easy way to know how good the fruit is inside. Or is there?

If you know what to look for, you can be sure of a watermelon's readiness before cutting it open. Here's what you need to know:

Seasonality.  

Water melon season are May, June and July although they are available all year long.

Picking off season you taking a gamble but I find the sweeter ones are more common during the summer months.

Things to look for.

Watermelon does not get riper once off the vine. Watermelon contains about 90% water so the first thing you want to look for is

WEIGHT. Holding two melons side by side that are equal in size and shape. You want the one that is heavier. (This is common for all fruits) 

Look for the FIELD SPOT.

It should be a nice cream colour or yellow, indicating that it sat on the floor as the melon ripened. If it is not present, skip it. It was probably picked early.

Vine Indication.

A vine presence too me would be a good indication of a poor ripen fruit.

I watermelon with a green vine would be a GREAT indication of picked before perfected.

They just grabbed it to get it to the market. When the melon is ripe on the vine it turns brown and comes off with ease. A good indication is a crater where the vine was.

Then there are the obvious bug signs and gashes.

I have heard the tap the melon theory I don't think that it is a great indication personally.

Field spot is white/yellow where it was resting on the field - best watermelons have creamy-yellow or even orange-yellow spots. Go for the gold.

I also look for the ugliest -- ones with the brownest lines (ant tracks?) since ants go for the sweeter ones too.

The webbing of a watermelon indicates the amount of times that bees touched the flower. The more pollination, the sweeter the watermelon is.

The TALL boy watermelons are more watery, while the ROUND girl watermelons are sweeter.

Size - go for average, not biggest or smallest

Tail ("stem") Go for the watermelons that have dried tails for the best taste. (Not green => picked too early) pick one that's heaviest for its size.

Disclaimer: The information on this POST is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this article is for general information purposes / educational purposes only, and to ensue discussion or debate.  

Thank you …A tactic to identify Roderick's bass drum: if you slap the watermelon and it sounds like you're slapping...

There are three tells apparently. 

1) The sound - aptly described by many here. 

2) The ends - especially the stem end - should be possible to push them in slightly - not a lot - that is overripe and not at all - that is under ripe.  

3) The watermelon should have an alligator skin line somewhere on the surface rather than being perfectly smooth. This is a rough brown line like a scar meandering somewhere on the surface.

If your melon has all three you are good to go.

• Your forehead, it's not ripe yet.
• Your chest, just right (bass drum)
• Your belly, too ripe. 

Want to add word or two? 

Look for the yellow spot. Watermelons use sunlight to make sugar. A watermelon that's green all around will have been turned in the field so that all the sides get sun.

A watermelon with a large yellow or white spot wasn't turned. The lighter the colour the more ripe and the more pink flesh. The less white in the rind and the less sour the rind.

Oddly enough, if you stick your nose near the bottom of the watermelon, similar to the way a dog smells its friends butt, you’ll either find that it has a pungent watermelon-y (sweet) aroma, or one that can be likened to cardboard. The first implies that the time has come for it to be consumed.

Your comment ….? 

I like to look for the ones with a smooth, glossy skin. A soft-skinned watermelon is usually a sign that the quality is starting to degrade.

All other things being equal (shape, size and appearance), I'd recommend picking the heaviest one. Watermelon is 90% water. The heavier the melon, the greater the water content (that means "juicy"). If you can't tell by feel, place it on the scale (hopefully, there will be one nearby).

Watermelon has about 6% sugar.

The yellow spot is not a red flag. It is simply the portion of the fruit that has been in contact with the soil.

Avoid buying melons that are squishy it's a sign that it's overripe.

Thump it. A fresh watermelon will have a pure and sweet tone, and sound almost hollow.

An old watermelon will sound muddy.

There’s something extremely appealing about splitting open a watermelon’s zebra-like skin to find red flesh. Not only are green and red complementary on the colour-wheel, but the haphazard nature of the watermelon skin’s green streaks provide a striking contrast to the full-bodied, saturated flesh inside.

There is literally no wrong way to eat a watermelon. You can make thin slices, or thick ones; shave off the rind, or leave it on; make cubes, or make circles. My favourite is cutting it in half, then scooping the rest out with a spoon, occasionally stopping to drink the excess juice collecting at the bottom.

Health benefits: According to Science Daily, watermelon contains loads of phyto-nutrients, like lycopene, beta carotene, and citrulline (they are found in many other fruits as well).

These compounds help relax our blood vessels, aids the urea cycle, and overall promotes a healthy circulation system. Important note: levels of phyto-nutrients are found more in the rind than the flesh, so nibble down to the skin!

There's so much more: the cultural symbolism, economics, growing patterns, innovation in breeding, its name, its heft, etc -- but I'll let someone else take a crack at those.

Summertime cravings include ice-cream, smoothies, iced tea, lemonade, cold crunchy salads and my favourite crisp cold sweet watermelon.

Watermelon comes to the rescue!!

There are many reasons to love this striped green rinded melon. It is very low in calories and incredibly hydrating. One cup of watermelon contains only 46 calories and about 20% RDA of vitamins A and C. One cup also contains 5% RDA of potassium. Watermelon is sweet yet mild. Hydrating, yet big on chew appeal. It’s a major source of fibre .

Rich in electrolytes and water content, melons are nature’s gift to beat tropical summer thirst.