Perhaps, everyone knows that watermelons are tasty and healthy. As well as the fact that this gourd is not really a vegetable or a fruit, but a real berry. That's just her size is not very "berry", well, yes it’s nothing. Bamboo also grows tens of meters, and they build houses from it and make furniture, but it really is grass. So the watermelon has the right to be considered a berry.
But almost every person knows a feeling of bitter disappointment when, having brought home a multi-kilogram “berry” and solemnly cutting it, he discovers instead of bright red pulp something pale pink, and even with green. This means that the watermelon was immature. However, before talking about how to choose a watermelon, it must be said that even its fiery red inside does not at all mean that this berry has ripened safely on melon. The popularity of watermelons is so great that many unscrupulous merchants are ready to stuff it with not only nitrates, which cause accelerated growth and maturation, but also simply with dyes. They literally give watermelons injections to saturate their flesh with paint and give it a rich red color.
The fact is that in an inexperienced eye, a ripe watermelon is practically no different from an immature one. And this must be taken into account. As well as what to expect in July (and even more so in June!), A natural ripe watermelon is unrealistic. And knowing the secrets of how to choose a watermelon will not help. Do not rush at the first striped berries that appear on the market - they are completely pumped up with different chemicals, and will bring nothing but harm to your body. Patience until at least the second half of August, when these fruits ripen in the southern regions of our country, and you can start buying with less risk.
But in August there is an option to acquire an unripe and tasteless fruit. Now let's talk about how to choose a watermelon in the market or in the store.
First of all, pay attention to the tail remaining on the stem from the berry. If it is saturated green in color and seems to be quite “alive”, then this watermelon was ripped off before it ripened.
There is a popular method of snapping a berry and squeezing it between the hands. Many "specialists", showing that they know how to choose a watermelon, smartly click on the peel with a bent finger, and then squeeze it in their hands with all their might. Yes, a ripe watermelon when tapping should produce a resonating sound, and when squeezed, crack. But you can master this method only after buying a hundredth watermelon, but even then there is a chance to make a mistake if you have problems with your hearing.
A reliable guarantee is an incision. Those buyers who do not know how to choose a watermelon prefer not to take risks and ask the seller to cut a piece out of it. In no case do not ask you to incise this fruit. Firstly, it is unwashed, and dirt will certainly get from the peel. And secondly, you don’t know when the seller last washed his knife ... So even if the berry turns out to be tasty and ripe, there is a risk of catching an intestinal infection.
There is one more secret. A ripe berry weighs less than a green berry of the same size. If you do not know how to choose a watermelon from two or three, then prefer the one that pulls less on the scales. Southerners can also tell you that the female of this berry is more delicious. Yes, they are bisexual. To distinguish a "girl" from a "boy", you need to look at the side opposite the peduncle. Those who know how to choose a sweet watermelon always buy that berry whose bottom is flatter and has a spot on it, at least the size of a small coin. “Boys” watermelons have a more convex bottom and a small speck.
Good luck with your choice and delicious treats!