Six Guidelines for Choosing the Perfect Watermelon

Using information gleaned from numerous conversations with produce workers, farmers, and my own personal experience, here are six pointers for selecting a ripe and sweet watermelon. The selection procedure can be simplified greatly if you know how to look for indicators like the field spot.

I've never been good at going to the grocery store and picking out a perfect watermelon because I never knew what I was looking for.

Choose poorly, and you'll be stuck with a watermelon that weighs as much as a small car. And then you're stuck with the unappealing choice of forcing yourself to eat the watermelon or wasting it.

Some of it has gone to waste because my family doesn't care for the flavor, which reminds them of a crunchy watermelon rind cucumber.

Because I know how disheartening it is to get home, take the first bite of some sort of produce you buy, and find out it isn't good, today I want to help you pick a sweet, ripe watermelon.

The advice presented here is based on my own experience as well as that of other people in the produce industry and among farmers. This is a guide for selecting the finest watermelons.

First, locate the playing area.

Forget everything else; this is the single most important thing to look for in a good watermelon.

The ground spot, also known as a field spot, is a creamy area on the watermelon's exterior that indicates where the fruit was originally resting, either on the ground or the underside.  

The field spot, like the one on my watermelon, should be a yellowish creamy color.

Field spots that are darker yellow in color have spent more time on the vine, where they develop their distinctive flavor. If the field spot is white or nonexistent, the melon is unripe.

Interestingly, a watermelon's appearance can change dramatically depending on which side you look at it from.

It fits my mental image of a watermelon much better and is therefore preferable because of its aesthetics.

The best watermelons I've found often look hideous on one side (typically the underside where the melon rested on the ground) and perfect on the other. Nonetheless, you don't want every inch of it to be a perfect shade of green.

It doesn't matter if the watermelon has green stripes or not, or if most of its exterior is a solid shade of green. Whether or not a watermelon is ripe has nothing to do with the exterior pattern, which is instead indicative of the different types of watermelons sold at your grocery store.

Second, go with a nondescript facade.

Underripe watermelons have a shiny exterior, though this can be tricky if they've added wax and you can't really tell. Yes, this also holds true for honeydew melons. Don't pass up a watermelon because it has a boring exterior.

Advice No. 3: Knock Knuckles Upon It

The melon's skin should be so hard and firm that your knuckles bounce off it. If the flesh is soft, which it will be once it begins to spoil, you will hear a dull thud. Don't eat melons that have bruises.

You need a hollow, deep sound rather than a dull thud. Don't rely solely on this as an indicator because it requires extensive testing to determine what it sounds like.

It is also possible to use the very end of your thumb as a substitute for knocking on the door. It's preferable if there's almost no give when you push in.

4th Tip: Choose the Heaviest Possible Item for the Job

Picking the heaviest-for-its-size fruit is a good rule of thumb for selecting almost any type of food, but when it comes to watermelons, it's especially important to select the sweetest ones. Because of this, the watermelon will be more hydrating and delicious.

Picking up multiple melons and weighing them against one another (or using a scale, if available) is a quick and simple way to verify this.

Above you see the entire 18-pound watermelon that inspired this post. It was heftier than the other melons of similar size. Value for money is increased as a result.

Fifthly, make sure your form is consistent.

Watermelons can range in shape from round to oval, and both are delicious. They simply exist in different forms. Avoid melons with strange bumps, as they may have been exposed to varying amounts of sun or water.

Sixth Piece of Advice: Focus on the Sweet Spots and Pollination Zones

Tom, the manager of produce at a major grocery chain, emailed me this recommendation many months ago. A sweet melon will have black spots on it where the sugar has leaked out. Sugar spots can easily be mistaken for dirt at first glance, but can only be identified as such if they resist being rubbed off.

Additionally, if you notice a series of dots along a line (as opposed to a scratch), these are pollination points, and the more of them, the better. In addition to the other suggestions, I now always look for these when I purchase a melon, and I've had excellent results. My sincere gratitude to you, Tom

Even though the melon in the picture above lacks the desirable creamy yellow spot (it's actually a little white), the sugar spots are promising. The watermelon was, in fact, quite delicious.

Check out my quick guide for How to Cut a Watermelon, which is the way I always cut watermelons to store in the fridge once you've selected a good one. How, however, to best serve this delectable fruit at social gatherings

The sweetest part of a watermelon is always in the middle, so be sure to remove a lot of the rind before eating.

Cutting into sticks or cubes using this method is much simpler than using the more conventional triangle shape that incorporates the rind. My preferred cutting tool is the stick.

Use a sharp knife if you want the meat to stay intact and have a crisp texture.

Please click the image above to access my cutting tutorial. Be glad it's watermelon season!

Additional Advice and Frequently Asked Questions

Did you like the dish I made? Whether you've tried this recipe or not, we'd appreciate a 5-star rating in the recipe card and/or a review in the comments section.

June 2018 update adds new photos and hints to this post. It was first released in April 2011