Is that watermelon ripe???

One of my friends asked me how you can tell when a watermelon is ripe?

Well.....

My mom has taught me to knock on a melon and, if it sounds solid-ish, then it's ripe. This trick has served us well many times while trying to decide which melon to choose out of a big bin of green giants.

However, I thought I'd do a search on-line before trying to answer this question to see if others had helpful suggestions pertaining to this subject. I thought the following article from Hillbilly Housewife was most helpful:

Summer is the time for cookouts, picnics, and watermelon. If you’re like me, you can’t wait to break open the first watermelon of the season.

Sometimes your rush ends up in disappointment because the watermelon you’ve chosen just isn’t tasty, which means it just isn’t ripe.

Let’s discuss how to tell if a watermelon is ripe so when you crack it open, it tastes like summer.

The trick to finding a ripe watermelon is to go beyond its appearance. Unlike some fruit, you can’t rely on your sense of sight to determine if you’re about to buy a nice, ripe, juicy watermelon. Take a banana, for instance. If the peel is yellow, chances are it’s ripe. With a watermelon you also have to call on your sense of sound and your sense of smell.

Watermelons, no matter what variety – small, round or large football shaped – have a particular sound when you knock on them. A ripe watermelon will give you a “thud” sound when you knock on it with your knuckles. Hold the watermelon close to your ear by cradling it in one arm, then knock on it with your opposite hand; like you’re knocking on a door. You should hear a dull sound, not a high ringing sound. Do this to several watermelons until you get the sound that doesn’t resonate a lot; it sort of disappears into the watermelon. This may not make any sense until you actually thump a few!

The watermelon scent is very distinctive and is another clue to a ripe watermelon. Once you’ve chosen a watermelon with the right sound, you need to use your sense of smell to finalize the deal. Take your watermelon and walk away from the bin so your nose isn’t confused by too much watermelon scent. Get your nose close to the watermelon end and sniff. You should get a delicious watermelon scent.

If your nose is still confused by all the watermelon aromas, walk over to the coffee aisle and do the old wine tasting trick. Clear your nostrils with a whiff of coffee scent. Wait a minute, then sniff your watermelon.

Now that you know how to tell if a watermelon is ripe, dive right into that beautiful pile at your grocery store or farmers market. Bring home a ripe, juicy watermelon for your family today and enjoy the fruit that says “summer is here!”


So, there you have it! Thumping on those watermelons really is a smart thing to do. :)

I just have to tell you this too... While on my Internet search, I came across an app. you can get for your cell phone/I-pod that, after you rest your "Gadget" on the top of a melon and select the appropriate size of the melon, you give the watermelon 3 good smacks and then your "Gadget" will tell you if the melon is ripe yet or if it needs to sit a while! What will they think of next I wonder???????