Choosing Watermelons. When choosing a whole watermelon, I always thump the melon with my fingers. The one that I choose has to sound "hollow". . .
I always thump the watermelon to tell if its ripe. If it sounds hollow like a loaf of home baked bread then its ripe. I have never had a bad watermelon with this technique!
The best tip I heard for choosing a ripe watermelon, is to find the darkest green one you can find without any bruises or soft spots.
To select a watermelon, I use the thumping method by knocking on one with my knuckles. If it has a hollow sound to it, it usually is very sweet.
I always check the bottom of a watermelon. It should be yellow where it has laid on the ground. The more yellow, the better the melon.
The best tip I ever got came from a man I met in a grocery store. He was standing there by the watermelons trying to balance a broom straw on a watermelon.
The "bottom" of the watermelon (the side that was lying on the ground while it was growing), is usually a white color. When it has turned a deep, creamy yellow, the watermelon is ripe.
As watermelon season wraps up, we are seeing tons of them on sale. You want to make sure you choose a good one, or else you'll be stuck with 15 pounds of lackluster fruit.