One of Summer’s Favorite Fruits – Watermelon

Cathy Isom has some great tips about the best way to buy, cut and store one of Summer’s favorite fruits. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.

Nothing tastes better on a hot summer day than a juicy, sweet slice of watermelon. Aside from being delicious, watermelons contain water, of course, potassium, Vitamin A, C, and lycopene. While browsing at your local farmer’s market, roadside stand, or in the produce aisle Laura Popielski with the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service says the best way to tell if your watermelon is ripe…

Some people like to give it a good tap. And if it sounds hollow… (nat sound of tapping)…then that means it’s ready to go. 

If you come across watermelon that has already been pre-cut, Popielski says the best way to tell if you’re getting a good slice is to go for the largest cut up pieces.

When they’re cut up into smaller parts, they don’t last as well in your refrigerator. And the more you cut it up the more water it is going to get you’re breaking up the cell walls. 

For fruit that’s been pre-cut and packaged in those clear plastic containers or clam shells, she recommends checking the bottom.

 Make sure there’s not a whole lot of liquid down there if so, you’re buying a lot of watermelon soup. 

Of course, there are many ways to cut up a watermelon, But if you’re looking for the safest way to do…

 Is to cut the top and the bottom. Just a little bit of the ends off first, because then it won’t roll around as much.  And then, you can cut it in half and flip that cut side down on your countertop.

Watermelons that are uncut can be kept out on the countertop for about a week after you’ve brought them home. Once you’ve sliced into the fruit, you can store it in the refrigerator for about 4 days.

I’m Cathy Isom…