A summer bbq isn’t quite complete without a juicy and refreshing watermelon. But it isn’t always easy selecting a watermelon. We’ve seen many tap on their watermelon, knock their watermelon, or even smell it, but do those techniques actually work or do we just leave it up to chance? Here are a few tips to help you select the sweetest and juiciest watermelon this summer.

What to look for in a Watermelon

• Field Spot – These are the yellow spots, due to the place where the watermelon rested on the ground. Ripe watermelons always have creamy yellow or even orange-yellow spots. 

Photo Credit: https://produceguide.wordpress.com/

• Webbing – Watermelons require pollination of their flowers from bees.  This brown webbing is scarring that occurs as a result of the pollination. The more pollination, the sweeter the watermelon!
• Tail – No Curly Tail! When a watermelon is ripe, the vine that is attached will wither and fall off. When a green tail is attached to a watermelon, it is usually an indication that it was picked soon and did not have enough time to ripen.

No Curly Tail

• Gender – Farmers differentiate watermelon by gender, ‘boy’ watermelons are tall and elongated while ‘girl’ watermelons are round and stout. Many say boy watermelons are juicier, while the girl watermelons are sweeter.
• Weight – Pick the watermelon up. The watermelon should be heavy for its size. Watermelon is 92% water, most of the weight is water.

Watermelons and other seasonal melons can also be found at our farm stands: