4 Tricks For Picking The PERFECT Watermelon!

How do you go about choosing the right watermelon?

Well, if you’re like most people, you probably walk through the grocery store slapping various ones like bongos until you find one that sounds ‘hollow.’

But there’s an easier way to find the perfect watermelon, one that’s far more reliable than converting the fruit section into a tribal drumming lounge.

All you’ll need are a pair of eyes and the following tricks.

Trick #1 – Look At The Field Spot

The field spot is the light colored patch on the watermelon, indicating where it was laid on the ground. This spot develops as the fruit ripens.

If it has a very small field spot (or none at all), don’t even think about buying this; the fruit was picked way before its time.

The perfect watermelon will have a dark, large field spot. Check out the following picture from Fabulous Farm Girl.

Trick #2 – Look For Webbing

Have you ever noticed how some watermelons have thick, brown, course material on their skin? That happens when bees pollinate the fruit in its early stages. The more pollination, the sweeter the fruit will be and the more webbing you’ll see.

Take a look at the image below from Chef Success to see what good webbing should look like.

Trick #3 – Check The Size and Weight

You don’t want a small melon, nor do you want one that’s really large. The best fruit will be average-sized. As far as weight goes, when you pick the fruit up it should feel pretty heavy for its size. Why? Well, a ripe watermelon is 92% water – and that gets pretty heavy!

Trick #4 – Check The Watermelon’s Gender

Seriously, this is a thing! A ‘male’ melon will be on the smaller side, with a penny-sized ring on the end. A ‘female’ watermelon will be larger with a quarter-sized ring.

Which should you choose? Well, a female melon will be sweeter with less seeds. The male variety will be watery.