Make sure a watermelon is ripe before picking it from your garden.
A ripe, juicy slice of watermelon makes a summer day perfect. Biting into an unripe watermelon, however, can leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Whether you're growing watermelons in your garden at home, or prefer to buy them from the farmer's market or grocery store, learn tell when this sweet melon is ripe. A watermelon stops ripening as soon as it's picked, so it's important to determine ripeness before you harvest the fruit.
Instructions
1. Look at the stem of the watermelon if you are harvesting it from your garden. When it begins to curl, turn brown and looks dry, you'll know the melon is ripe.
2. Inspect the bottom of the melon where it sits on the ground. This part of the watermelon should be yellow. If the spot is green or white, the melon is likely not fully ripe. If picking a watermelon from the supermarket, the melon should have a somewhere on the body. Don't buy a melon without one.
3. Knock on the watermelon with your knuckles. Listen for a hollow, dull thud. This will indicate the fruit is ripe.
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