How To Pick a Good One!

No ladies, I'm not talking about how to choose a guy.

Today I'm going to share with you my TOP SECRET methods for choosing a sugar-licious watermelon.

Is "sugar-licious" a word? Yes. It is now.

My blog friend, Jennifer, over at Cow Camp Tales was just lamenting the other day about how scarce a good, sweet melon is nowadays. I agree.  There's a lot of junk out there.  But I feel that it is time to share my family's method for picking a good one.

When I was a young girl, we lived in prime melon-growing country.  Watermelons were always free from the field, or dirt cheap on the side of the road. The garage of my grandparent's country house was filled with the sweet and distinct smell that comes from having cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon in abundance during the summer months.

The migrant workers ALWAYS picked phenomenally sweet melons for us and they showed us how THEY pick a good one.


 Hint: It has NOTHING to do with thumping the melon.

I crack up when I see people thumping melons. But then I feel sympathetic because they don't know the secret.

But today I'm going to share my secret with you, dear blog friends.... cuz I love ya.... and I don't want you to knock on melons...ever again.

Here's how I pick a "sugar-licious" melon:

[drum roll please]

Look for the sugar spot.

That's it, my friends. It's that simple.

What's the sugar spot, you ask?

It looks like this:

Do you see that dark stuff that looks like sap?  That, my friends is hardened sugar.  What it means is that the melon was so completely saturated in sugary goodness, that it seeped out.

If the watermelon has a high sugar content, it will also ooze out of the stem when it's cut from the vine like the one below:

If you are rummaging through a big bin of watermelons and none of them have a good, dark, sugar spot on them, turn around and walk away.

I repeat: WALK AWAY!!!!

Those melons are "no bueno"!

Many a time, I've left the store empty handed because I couldn't find a melon with a sugar spot on it. I just won't risk it. In fact, if there's only one with a sugar spot in the whole bin, I still might not pick it, because chances are that the melons were picked too soon.

Usually, when a melon has a sugar spot, it also has a yellow bottom, too.

Here's what my melon looked like inside: (Notice the yellow bottom)

It was at the peak of ripeness, dripping with sugary goodness in every delicious bite!

Since I live high up in the mountains these days, it's not hot enough for good melon growing.  Unfortunately, I have to buy my melon at the store, now.  I got this one at Wallie World for $4.88 and I'm here to testify that if you use this method, you can even find a good melon at Walmart.

We eat at least two a week 'round here when the pickin's are good. And I'm not a traditionalist, like some folks. I don't discriminate for or against seeds. I don't care which I pick as long as it's ripe.

Oh, and just in case you were curious, today's melon came from Pecos, Texas!

There you have it. Now go forth and select good watermelons from this day forward!

But don't share this knowledge with anyone else.  That way, there are more  "sugar-licious" watermelons for you and me.

Pick a sweet one!

Nell