How to tell if a watermelon is ripe. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
When picking a watermelon at the market the first way to tell if it’s ripe is by looking at its belly. This spot on a ripe watermelon will be yellowish and not white, which indicates an unripe melon.
Using your knuckles, rap on the middle of the watermelon while holding it up to your ear, or flick it with your finger. A ripe watermelon will have a hollow sound when knocked. An unripe watermelon will have more of a higher-pitched sound, while an overripe one will make a “thud” or a lower-pitched sound.
Pick up the watermelon and give it a good sniff. A ripe watermelon should smell slightly sweet, and similar to what a melon tastes like, but not overly sweet (which can indicate an overripe watermelon). This sniff test also works great on other types of melons, such as cantaloupes and honeydew.
Gently squeeze the side of the watermelon to see if there’s a bit of “give” to it. The rind of the melon shouldn’t be soft, as the skin of some fruits get when ripe, but it also shouldn’t be hard as a rock with no give to it at all.
Listen to Cathy Isom’s This Land of Ours program here.