The “broken heart,” “hollow heart” or cracked center that is sometimes found inside a watermelon is caused by weather conditions during the growing season. This flesh is still good and safe to eat. Some folks say watermelon with these internal cracks are sweeter due to concentration of the sugars.
Can you eat a cracked watermelon?
According to Watermelon.org, internally cracked watermelons are safe to eat and may even taste sweeter than a regular watermelon since the melon’s sugars consolidate along the surface of the cracked flesh.
What does it mean if a watermelon has cracks in it?
Causes of Watermelon Splits
Whether it’s due to poor irrigation practices or drought followed by heavy rain, excessive accumulation of water can put the fruit under a lot of pressure. As with tomato cracking, when the plants absorb too much water too fast, the excess water goes straight to the fruits.
When should you not eat a watermelon?
If the flesh of your watermelon is slimy, off-colored, foul-smelling, or growing something fuzzy, this means it has gone bad and should be thrown away (after being wrapped in layers of plastic bags to avoid stinking up the whole kitchen). These traits also apply to pre-cut and pre-packaged watermelon.
Why did my watermelon split when cut?
Maintaining a consistent watering schedule is extremely important, especially in the last two weeks of growth, as too much water or erratic application at this stage can cause the melons to split. That’s why a sudden downpour close to harvest could lead to a garden of split melons.
Why is my watermelon crunchy inside?
When a watermelon gets too ripe for its own good, the juicy crisp texture of the flesh can turn gritty and dry. If you cut it open, you might see the flesh actually pulling away from the seeds. If your watermelon is mealy, it’s still safe to eat.
Is it safe to eat watermelon with rind necrosis?
Strictly cosmetic Rind necrosis doesn’t affect fruit quality. “It’s strictly a cosmetic problem,” Egel says. Necrotic spots visible inside the rind of cut fruit don’t affect taste, Brix or shelf life, Paret says.
Why are my melons splitting?
Melon splitting occurs when the vine takes up too much water too quickly. The fruit rind is unable to expand rapidly enough to accommodate the growing flesh. A heavy rainfall just before harvest is often responsible for this. Even if fruit does not split, heavy rain or irrigation will decrease its sweetness.
How can you tell if a watermelon is overripe?
Consumers who still want to thump the watermelon should listen closely when their finger flicks the fruit. “An unripe watermelon will ‘ping’ when thumped. An overripe watermelon will ‘thud.
How do you know if a watermelon is injected?
Often injected watermelons will appear too red. You will feel redness and sweetness more than usual while cutting into it. Also, while reaching the middle, you will see a slightly burnt mark due to chemicals. In the first go, the watermelon may seem red and fresh, but it would be rotting.
Can you get sick from watermelon?
If you eat an abundance of the fruit daily, however, you may experience problems from having too much lycopene or potassium. The consumption of more than 30 mg of lycopene daily could potentially cause nausea, diarrhea, indigestion and bloating, according to the American Cancer Society (opens in new tab).
Why we should not eat watermelon at night?
Watermelon has 92% water content. While it does solve your hydration blues in peak summers, having it at night can potentially make you take more trips to the bathroom, disturb your sleep. In some cases, watermelon, if not eaten in control can lead to the problem of water retention, causing swelling and overhydration.
Can you get sick from old watermelon?
Consuming spoiled watermelon can quickly lead to food poisoning. The first signs that something is wrong will appear within a few hours and include: Fatigue and headache. Nausea and vomiting.
What does a rotten watermelon look like?
The easiest way to tell is to check the skin for any soggy spots and patches of greenish-blue, black, or white mold. Even if the exterior looks OK, there’s a chance that the fruit could have gone bad. If the flesh has noticeable dark spots or is covered in anything slimey, you should toss it.
What happens when a watermelon goes bad?
When watermelon is no longer good, the crisp flesh will start to shrivel. The flesh might even be pulling away from the seeds. In other cases, the watermelon might become slimy and mushy. Smell the watermelon before cutting into it.
Why is my watermelon foaming and sizzling?
Experts in this area considered that when a watermelon becomes over-matured and/or is fermenting, the pressure inside the watermelon increases and this may result in the “foaming” phenomenon.
Can watermelon have worms?
Symptoms: Melon worms are elongate greenish larvae with darker head that cause severe feeding damage to vines and fruit of most melons. Closely related to the pickle worm that attack cucumbers. In areas that never receive frost (southern Texas and Florida), melon worms may be a year round problem.
How long can you keep watermelon in the fridge?
If you’re worried about your watermelon spoiling, you can pop the whole thing in the fridge; FreshDirect says that you can keep a whole watermelon in the fridge for up to three weeks, at best.
What is watermelon rind necrosis?
Watermelon rind necrosis is characterized by the presence of a corky, red to brown layer of dead tissue that occurs on the inside of the rind of affected fruit but that does not extend into the fruit flesh. Early stages of rind necrosis can be noticed as small discolored water soaked areas in the rind.
What causes watermelon rind necrosis?
Experts believe that watermelon rind necrosis symptoms are caused by bacteria. They think that the bacteria is naturally present in the watermelon. For reasons they do not understand, the bacteria causes symptom development. Plant pathologists have identified different bacteria from necrotic areas in the rind.
Why does my watermelon have little bumps?
Causal Agent: (suspected virus ‑ Tobacco Ring Spot Virus?) Small bumps or pimples develop on fruit (Image 1), which are most noticeable on dark rind varieties.
Lorraine Wade is all about natural food. She loves to cook and bake, and she’s always experimenting with new recipes. Her friends and family are the lucky beneficiaries of her culinary skills! Lorraine also enjoys hiking and exploring nature. She’s a friendly person who loves to chat with others, and she’s always looking for ways to help out in her community.