CONCORD – National Watermelon Day is August 3, 2018. Anything as juicy, sweet, and refreshing as watermelon deserves its own day.
I have bought my share of less than desirable watermelons. But, I have also tasted watermelon that made me agree with Mark Twain: “To taste a watermelon is to know what the angels eat.”
When you are ready to make your selection, choose a melon with a dull rather than shiny rind. It needs to be uniform in shape without irregular bumps or bruises. Choose a melon that is the heaviest for its size. Then, try one of the following more entertaining methods of determining which melon is the best one for you:
The Field Spot Method: The most important part of the rind is on the bottom side: the “field spot.” This spot develops as the watermelon lays in the field as it ripens. Look for a buttery yellow splotch of color. If there is a white field spot, or no field spot at all, the melon will not be ripe.
The Thump Test: Many people swear by this method. However, all individuals who listen to the “sound of a watermelon” do not necessarily thump; some knock, pat, spank, or slap.
There is an old saying about thumping a watermelon: “A good watermelon should sound hollow…like you thumped your chest. If it sounds like you’re hitting your head…it’s too ripe. If it sounds like thumping on your stomach…it’s definitely too ripe.” North Carolina Cooperative Extension
The Rolling Method: Place the watermelon on a flat surface and roll it to another person. If the melon rolls to the right, it is right.
The Gender Method: A male melon will be on the smaller side, taller and shaped more like an egg. The male will have a penny-sized ring on its end. A female watermelon will be large and more spherical. The females will have a quarter-sized ring on their end.
The Bee Kiss/Bee Sting Method: You know how sometimes a watermelon has those brown looking webs and dark, raised spots? The brown “webbing” is scarring because of bees pollinating the bloom. The black dots occur when the bees “sting” the melon while seeking the sweet insides. People who look for these marks say that a sweet melon will have at least one of these attributes.
The Straw Test: A November 1945 issue of Popular Science Magazine describes the method of the straw test. “Place a broom straw horizontally across a watermelon. If the melon is ripe, the straw will turn to a 45-degree angle; if it is green it will not move.”
Now, slice it open and eat it like a child, with juice running down your chin and a huge smile on your face.
The Watermelon Promotion Board (watermelon.org) has a website with tips, tricks and recipes such as the following:
Kids Watermelon Pizza Supreme Watermelon Lemonade Roasted Rind Parmesan Watermelon Margarita Rocks Pulled Pork and Watermelon BBQ Sauce
Editor’s note: This article was contributed by Cindy Howard, a recent addition to the talented team of writers at the Richmond Observer.
