Picking the Perfect Watermelon

I LOVE LOVE LOVE watermelon. It's the perfect summer time snack. I could eat a whole one by myself. Seriously. I love a good watermelon. But there's nothing worse than getting a craving for some and buying one cutting it up and then having it taste horrible.  I have looked around, researched websites and blogs and found the best tips I could find and they have worked wonders. I have not been disappointed when I follow these 4 easy steps. Just thought I would share the love!

4 Easy Steps to Picking Watermelon

1. Look for a yellow spot somewhere on the watermelon. Usually on the bottom. Not white, yellow. This is where the watermelon was laying in the sun.  If it is white, it is not ripe yet. Sources say, sorry I can't remember where I was to find this out, that watermelon does not continue to ripen after it is picked.  Unlike cantaloupe and some other fruit.

2. Pick a symmetrical one, either perfectly round or oval, but same one both sides.  Also check it for cracks, or bruises.

3. Thump it. It should sound hollow.  I thump a few of them with my head down right on them. I know I look crazy, but it's so worth it to me to get a good one.  If it sounds too low I don't pick that one. If it sounds to high pitched I don't get that one. I get the one that's pitch is somewhere in the middle. It should also look lighter weight than it actually is.  If you pick it up and think, wow this is a lot heavier than it looks, it's probably a good one.

4. Look for bee stings. My mother-in-law told me this an I thought she was crazy. But I have picked 6 watermelons with bee stings and 1 without in the last month and all 6 were fantastic, and the 1 was just ok. So I'm totally sold on the bee stings. (along with the other 3 steps)  Bee stings look like little brown spots on the watermelon. I thought they were just dirt when I first saw them, but it doesn't rub off.  They kind of look like the watermelon has been scuffed up a bit.  Bee stings mean that the bees were attracted to it because it's sweet.  Sometimes there is a little bit of an amber colored goo on the outside, but not often, that is just some of the nectar.

(Please take all of these steps with a grain of salt. I am no expert. This is just what I do when I'm choosing my perfect watermelon. Also the things that I have found online to help me.)

Enjoy your watermelon! And the rest of your summer, what is left anyway... :D