Watermelon, considered one of summer time’s cool, shivery treats, is usually a blast or a bust. You recognize that feeling whenever you anticipate sweetness however as a substitute get a ho-hum mouthful of watery nothingness.
Listed below are six recommendations on choose a watermelon that’s completely ripe.
1. Decide it up
A ripe watermelon ought to really feel heavy for its measurement. And heavy is an efficient factor. (As a person of portly proportions, I really like having the ability to write that!) So, when purchasing, at all times select the heavier of two same-size melons.
2. Search for the yellow spot
Since watermelons develop on the bottom, the spot the place they’re involved with the earth will get no mild–therefore no inexperienced shade. That space known as the “discipline spot” and might be the very best indicator of ripeness and sweetness. Search for a spot that’s yellow in shade, which implies it’s been ripening on the vine for a very long time. A light-weight-colored or white spot means the melon was picked too early. And too early means a fruit that’s fakakta.
3. Give it spanking
Okay, you may accept rap together with your knuckles. A ripe watermelon will really feel sturdy and have a resonant, satisfying hole sound. Meaning it’s bursting with watermelon juiciness and is at its peak of ripeness. If the thwap is uninteresting sounding or the fruit feels smooth, go on it.
4. Search for a uniform form
We right here at LC embrace the irregularities of meals and life. We welcome misfit veggies and adore ugly fruit. However, sorry, not relating to watermelon. We go for cover-model shapes. In case your melon is bumpy or has ridges, it’s most definitely the recipient of inconsistent love from nature–that means it was alternately uncared for and smothered in solar or water. And also you don’t want a melon with emotional baggage.
5. Discover the sugar spot
No, this isn’t the title of some pop tune with specific lyrics. The sugar spot is a darkish brown tough patch, or webbing, that appears virtually like grime. That is the place the sugar is seeping out of the fruit. Sugar=sweetness. Sweetness= time had by all.
6. Go for uninteresting
A shiny, dewy complexion ain’t for watermelon. A mature, has-seen-the-garden melon has a uninteresting floor…and it’s what lies beneath that lackluster floor that counts. Sweetness.
And now . . .
One in all summer time’s easiest rituals is consuming watermelon out of hand (and, if you happen to’re a child, spitting the seeds at your brother). However have you ever ever thought-about watermelon with a sprinkle of sea salt? The cool of watermelon spiked with the warmth of Aleppo pepper? Or juxtaposed with salty feta and tangy cherry tomatoes? Or rubbed with the minimize facet of contemporary ginger? And even tossed on the grill—sure, we’re telling you to warmth watermelon. Simply brush either side with a wee little bit of olive and place it on the grill for a couple of minutes to take the sting off its crispness. And, after all, you may at all times churn it into watermelon sorbet.
So now you may have superpowers. Go, now, expensive fruit lover, and be the Grasp of Your Personal Watermelon-verse.
Initially printed August 8, 2020
