Selecting a Ripe Watermelon – Fitness Authority

Sweet and Delicious!

As many of us are doing our grocery shopping for the Labor Day weekend, add watermelon to your list. Here is what to look for in selecting the perfect watermelon.

1. Female Verse Male

Female Watermelon

Female watermelons are round= SWEET

Male Watermelon

Male watermelons are elongated = watery

2. Ripeness: Dry Stem is Best

Dry Stem = Ripe

Green Stem = not ripe yet

3. Color of Field Spot: Look for Orange

Look for watermelons in which the field spot (where the melon rested on the ground) is ORANGE. Watermelons with Orange field spots and under tones are Delicious. White undertones (the melon on the left) has less flavor.

4. Webbing

I did not know….

The webbing on a watermelon is from the amount of bee pollination of the flower. The increased pollination equals more webbing which creates a sweeter fruit!!! Are bees amazing! (PA Department of Agriculture)

Webbing = Go For IT!

Field Scaring

5. Weight: Go for the LBS!!!

I chose 2 watermelons that visually were the same size and weighed them. The melon on the right is 1/2 lb heavier. A watermelon that is heavier than it looks will be juicier. A lighter weight melon will tend to be dry.

Fitness Authority