How Do You Pick A Good Watermelon And Cantaloupe?

What to look for so you pick the best watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melons every time.

1. Melons should feel heavy for their size. A higher density (more melon per melon, if you will) means it’s packed with more juice, more sugar and more flavor.
2. Melons have a stem end and a blossom end.

How do you pick a cantaloupe and watermelon?

A watermelon should smell slightly sweet, like candy. A cantaloupe should smell slightly musky, like a middle schooler who’s just discovered cologne. It doesn’t matter what a honeydew smells like, because it will always just end up as filler fruit, alone and untouched at the bottom of the bowl.

How do you pick a good tasting watermelon?

You want to find the melon that is heavy for its size. This usually means it will be sweeter and will have more water content. Look for an orange creamy field spot. The darker yellow field spot usually means it was on the vine longer and is full of flavor.

How can you tell a watermelon is sweet?

Look for the Sugar Spots and Pollination Points – If you see black spots on the melon, this is where sugar is seeping out and indicates a sweet melon.

What is the best way to pick a good cantaloupe?

To select a ripe cantaloupe, look for tan cantaloupe with light green lines across it, and avoid choosing melons with brown or soft spots. The melon should be firm but not too soft or too hard.

How can you tell when a cantaloupe is ripe and sweet?

You should give the blossom end of the fruit (the same side you just pressure tested) a good sniff. A ripe cantaloupe will smell sweet, floral, and musky. If the scent is very faint or if there’s no smell at all, then the fruit is not ripe yet.

How can you tell when a cantaloupe is ready to eat?

As with cantaloupe, color is your first sign of ripeness. The melon’s green rind will take on a creamy yellowish color. If the color is right, gently push on the end of the melon opposite from the stem. If there is a slight give, the melon is probably ripe.

What color watermelon is the sweetest?

And you can tell a lot about the way a watermelon tastes based on how it looks. According to the experts at the Watermelon Board, yellow and orange watermelons are generally sweeter than those with pink or red flesh. Seedless watermelons tend to have a crisper texture than those with seeds, they add.

How can you tell if a watermelon is ripe?

A ripe watermelon should have a deep hollow sound when you thump the rind with your hand, similar to a knock on the door. An unripe melon will have a more high-pitched resonance, whereas an overripe melon will sound more like a thud.

How do you pick a good watermelon at the grocery store?

Look for the yellow spot: Watermelons develop a splotch where they rest on the ground. When this splotch is creamy yellow, it’s ripe. Give it a thump: Tap the underbelly of the watermelon. A ripe one will have a deep hollow sound, which means it is brimming with juice and at the peak of its ripeness.

What is the best month to buy watermelon?

The best time for grocery store watermelons is when they’re in season. From May to September, stores will be supplied with melons at their peak from Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Texas, and California; these melons travel shorter distances than their off-season stand-ins, so they’re fresher when they get to you.

What does a good watermelon sound like?

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.

Will a cantaloupe ripen in the refrigerator?

Will a cantaloupe ripen if it is in the refrigerator overnight? No, it will not ripen once it is in the refrigerator.

Does uncut cantaloupe need to be refrigerated?

Keep whole melons like watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew on the counter for best flavor. USDA research found that storage at room temp may even help keep the antioxidants better intact. Once cut, store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Does Cut cantaloupe need to be refrigerated?

Leftover cut cantaloupe should be discarded if left at room temperature for more than two hours. Use a cooler with ice or use ice gel packs when transporting or storing cantaloupes outdoors. Sliced or cut melon should never be out of refrigeration for more than 2 hours, 1 hour when it’s above 90 °F.

Will a cantaloupe ripen on the counter?

Unlike other fruits, cantaloupes will not ripen once picked from the vine. At the grocery store, then, what you see is what you get: The fruit will not ripen very much once left on the counter at home, so it’s important to pick a good cantaloupe.

Why does my cantaloupe taste like nail polish remover?

These fruits, if grown naturally, are not good stored. You can taste the stored ones straight away, they either have no flavour or they develop an acetone taste akin to nail varnish.

How do you ripen a cantaloupe quickly?

Set the cantaloupe in a paper bag once you want to speed up the ripening process. Keep it at room temperature during this process. Place ethylene-producing fruits such as an apple or banana in the paper bag with the cantaloupe to further speed up the ripening.

Which cantaloupe is sweetest?

Crenshaws also have peachy flesh, similar to a cantaloupe’s, which is juicy and sweet to taste. In fact, it is known to be one of the sweetest melons there is.

Are dark or lighter watermelons better?

The bigger and darker the patch is, the better. Watermelons should be a darker green. Very light watermelons may not have ripened long enough on the vine. The watermen should have contrasting dark with lighter stripes.

Why is my watermelon pink and not red?

The inside, if you’re looking at a cut watermelon section, should be bright pink or red with a thick, pale rind. An over-ripe melon will have paler pink flesh, more a shell pink than hot pink. The rind may be greener, and the outside will be more splotchy or discolored.