Blog

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Summer is never complete without a sweet and juicy watermelon. It’s the perfect fruit to refresh yourself with on a hot summer day. But do you ever find yourself wondering how to pick the best one when you’re at the grocery store? Often, we always look for the prettiest, most unblemished, greenest watermelon, thinking that it will be the sweetest. But it turns out, this actually isn’t the case!

According to chef and food expert My Nguyen, the ugliest watermelon from the bin is almost always the sweetest. She says to look for these 3 “blemishes” when picking a watermelon.

A large yellow spot

The big yellow patch on the bottom of the watermelon indicates how long it has been ripening in the sun. So, the bigger the yellow spot, the longer it has been ripening, a sure sign of sweetness!

Webbing

Nguyen explains that the webbing on watermelons is actually from bee pollination, so the more webbing that covers a watermelon, the more likely it is to be sweet.

Dark spots

Those dark spots that ooze out of watermelons often look a little bit gross. But they are actually the watermelon’s sugars seeping out of the flesh. So, more dark spots means that the watermelon is bursting with its natural sugars.

Next time you’re shopping for a watermelon, remember that its not a beauty pageant. Rather, look for these three blemishes on your melon for a better chance at having that super sweet watermelon that we all crave on hot summer days!

Also, check out these past articles that highlight watermelon from Fill Your Plate!

• Watermelon Is More Than Just an Iconic Summer Treat – Fill Your Plate Blog
• 20 Ways to Use Watermelon – Fill Your Plate Blog
• Watermelon Is The Perfect Summertime Treat (fillyourplate.org)
• Watermelon Facts – Fill Your Plate Blog
• Wacky for Watermelon (fillyourplate.org)