Can You Tell if a Watermelon is Ripe?

40 lb watermelons at Barbara's Place in Louisville

We are right in the middle of prime watermelon season. The crop has been good this year and the one good consequence of this dry, hot weather is an improvement in the taste of the melon. According to Keri Collins Lewis with MSU Ag Communications, while melons are 92% water, restricting water in the last few days before harvest actually concentrates the sweetness of the melon. Given our weather lately, if a melon is picked at its peak, it should be delicious.

So how do you tell if a watermelon is ripe, whether you pick it from the field or at the local farmer’s market or stand? The old standby method is the “Thump” or “Slap” method. Rick Snyder, a vegetable specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station indicates the consumer should try several melons and slap them or thump them with their fingers. Choose the one with the lowest pitch – “look for a low, hollow sound like it has a big empty stomach. We’re looking for a bass, not a soprano.”

If you grow your own, there are other methods to indicate ripeness. Check the vine curl closest to the melon. It should be brown and dry. If it’s still green, move on to the next one because it’s not quite ready yet.

The third method according to Snyder is “the ground spot, the part of the watermelon that is in contact with the ground. Roll the watermelon over -- careful not to break the attachment to the vine. If it’s still green or greenish yellow, it’s not ready. If it’s yellow, bright yellow or creamy yellow it’s probably ready.”

Note the creamy yellow ground spot on this melon

The Fourth of July Holiday is prime time for watermelon and a cold melon is a refreshing way to beat the heat.

W. McCully