Focus On Vibrant Health – How to Pick a Sweet, Juicy Watermelon

NORTH FORK, CA – It is watermelon season! Are you just guessing and hoping the watermelon you choose will be good? You may give it a quick thump, and not even know how it should sound. It is worth learning how to select a good one, so you can enjoy it to the fullest degree intended by mother nature. A properly ripened melon is nutritious, deep red, dense, sugar sweet, juicy and absolutely delicious.

Nutrients and Toxins

Watermelons are 91% water, and structured water at that. See the article:  The Qualities of Healthy Water.  The red color of the flesh comes from lycopene, which has many health benefits. They are also an excellent source of the amino acid citrulline, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and beta-carotene. To fully express it’s nutritional value, any food must be grown in healthy soil. Organic farms are more likely to attend to the health of the soil, and not just add chemicals to increase yields. Ideally this means adding compost, organic matter, minerals, soil amendments, using cover crops, and making sure the soil microbiome is healthy. Another reason to choose organic over commercial watermelons is to avoid the fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides that are routinely used. Residues may be both on the rind of the melon, and in the flesh. Big organic farms use less toxic chemicals, but may still be using approved pesticides. Whenever possible, it is best to know your farmer or grow food yourself. Always give your watermelon a wash before cutting into it.

Seedless or Seeded?

Seedless watermelons are the result of cross-breeding that causes the seeds to not mature, creating a sterile fruit. Chemicals are used (such as colchicine) on the young seedlings to disrupt cell division, changing the chromosomes. These plants cannot produce viable pollen, and they must be planted with seeded varieties for the fruit to develop. Seedless watermelons have become so popular that the breeding in the last 10 to 15 years has improved the flavor of these varieties. However, the seeded varieties are still generally considered to be tastier. Use the below tips to choose the best watermelon of either type, and decide for yourself. Flavor is likely more affected by variety, if they were truly field ripened, and how far they had to travel. Other factors include the health of the soil, the climate where they were grown, and the consistency of water they received.

It is worth considering if you want to support an industry that creates dependance on commercial agriculture. If you cannot save the seeds of the food you eat to grow yourself, you are at a potential disadvantage, whether you are a farmer or a home gardener. This affects food security. You are depending on someone to supply the seeds, and genetic diversity may decline and make crops more vulnerable to disease or changing environmental conditions. There is also the question of whether it is appropriate to create organisms that cannot reproduce naturally. Technology always has its pros and cons.

Watermelon Traditions

People have been eating watermelons for thousands of years. The farmers who grew them, the market women who sold them, and the grandmothers and mothers who brought them home – they all knew how to read them. The knowledge did not disappear, it just stopped being passed down.

To choose ripeness, you must understand what ripeness actually is in this fruit. A watermelon does not ripen after you pick it, unlike a banana or avocado. It stops ripening the second it is cut from the vine. The melon tells you the truth, but only if you know the language. If you learn the things you can read with your senses, you stop guessing.

These 6 tests come from a long tradition of growing and eating watermelons. They take less than 2 minutes, and are well worth your effort.

1. The field spot
   • This is where the belly of the melon rests against the soil. It should be a deep yellow, not pale white or faint cream. Orange may be even better. This spot should be 4-5 inches, about the size of your palm. A green spot or a small one may indicate it has been rotated, which is not good. This spot was in contact with the sun-warmed earth while the melon slowly ripened.
2. The stem and the tendril
   • The stem end is where it was attached to the vine. There may be a small curling tendril on the stem that should be dry, not green. If it is brown, this means it was picked after the vine indicated it was ripe. By the time it reaches the store this tendril may be long gone.
   • The stem should be brown and shriveled.  If there is no stem, the stem scar should be slightly sunken and dry. There should not be softness or give here. If there is, or if the stem is green, it has likely been picked too early.
3. Feel the melon
   • If you press the rind gently with your thumb, it will have a tiny bit of give. Kind of springy. An unripe melon will feel very hard, like green wood. An overripe melon will feel soft and a bit mushy.
   • Feel the texture of the surface of the melon. It should have a slight roughness. When you run your hand over the melon, you may even feel a subtle ridge between the light and dark stripes.  It indicates the melon had very good field conditions – slow growth, consistent sun, and no rush to pick it.  This may not be present, and that does not mean the melon is bad.
4. Look at the melon
   • A symmetrical shape usually means better nutrition in the soil, and the bees did a better job of pollinating the flower, which leads to a sweeter melon.
   • Look closely at the rind. When ripe, the skin should be dull, not shiny and waxy. The color of the stripes should have sharp contrast. This means the melon matured evenly and was given time to ripen. The distance between the stripes is not as important.
   • Webbing or sugar lines on the surface of the melon are thought to indicate tiny scars that come from lots of pollination by the bees. This also means a sweeter melon. These are part of the slight rough feel referred to above.
5. Thump the melon
   • Cradle it in one hand or simply support it with your hand, and thump it with the middle knuckle of your other hand. Use a firm strike to the widest part of the melon, and listen. If ripe it will have a deep sound, low and hollow. It resonates. When unripe it sounds higher in pitch, and a harder, shorter sound. An overripe melon sounds dull and flat, almost muffled, indicating the flesh has started to break down. Thump 3-4 times to train your ear. It takes practice.
6. Weight
   • Compare two melons of the same size, and the heavier one will almost always be better. This indicates the flesh is dense with sugar and water.

These are not a guarantee, but do improve your chances of getting a delicious melon. Put several together, and they will help you avoid a pale, flavorless melon that is a waste of your money.

You will greatly increase your chances of finding a good melon if you can buy directly from the farmer at a farmer’s market. That farmer will more likely have let the melon mature properly in the field, and will not have felt as pressured to pick it early for it to survive the modern system of agriculture. This system requires multiple days of transport and sitting before you find it in the grocery store. It is designed to get a melon to you, not necessarily to provide a good one. Some varieties are bred for looks and long travel, others are bred for flavor and juice.

If you are lucky enough to grow watermelons yourself, you can use these tests to check the melons while still in the garden, and know when they are ready.

You now have knowledge that will greatly increase your chance of getting a mouth-watering watermelon worth eating. These methods work. And they’re fun. Teach them to your children. You no longer have to simply pick a melon at random, hoping it will be good. And never just trust a label that says “sweet and juicy”, which is absolutely no guarantee.

If you live near North Fork, go to the Gnarly Carrot and choose a watermelon. They source their produce from farms as local as possible, and always organic. Or go to a local farmer’s market. You will be well rewarded for your effort. A healthy, delicious, ripe watermelon will satisfy both the delight of your taste buds and your need for good nutrition.

Read additional articles here:  Focus On Vibrant Health.

Dr. Veronica Tilden can be your ally in having vibrant health.  She uses traditional hands-on osteopathy and helps you take responsibility for your health, guiding you to make better choices in your life.  She brings her 30 years of experience to her hometown at her office in North Fork.  You can find out more and schedule an appointment at DrVeronicaTilden.com.