How do you choose a watermelon? Other Melons? Peaches - etc?

Question

I've been buying a lot of semi-mealy - not-so-terribly-sweet watermelon lately. How the heck do you know what's inside? What about other melons?

And peaches, nectarines, plums - I don't want to buy them rock hard - but if they are soft - they seem to go bad within a day or two.

I do well with apples and bananas and mangos and most veggies - but these types of fruits (melons and peach family fruits) seem to baffle me.

Any clues or tips you could give me about how to choose them would be very helpful! Thanks

Answer 1

This isn't directly related to your question, but you should always make sure to wash the outsides of melons before cutting them.  Because they are not acidic, they don't kill the germs from the knife, so it's easy to get food poisoning.

Answer 2

All melons should feel heavier than they look.  Smell the melon.  The riper it is the more it should smell like the fruit it is.  However, having a "good" inside can often be a c**p shoot, no matter how hard you try.  Fresh fruit only lasts a few days, anyway.  At the most a week.  I only buy a few pieces at a time and go back to the store (or farm stand in summer) when I need more.  It wastes less money.

Answer 3

As far as melons go I've always gone by the "pale spot" on the bottom of the melon.  If it is yellow then it will be ripe but if it's white it's not quite ready to eat yet. I'm not sure about peaches or nectarines so I want to know the anwer to that myself.  :)

Answer 4

With peaches, nects, and plums, I go for ones with just a little give when you gently squeeze them (not so hard as to bruise the flesh). If it gives a little, I know they'll be ready to eat in a day or two. I don't buy more than I can eat in say 3 days.

You should consider the Evert Fresh Green Bags you can buy. They help keep fruits/veggies from going bad so fast.

With melons, you should thump them. Listen for a clear "thunk" sound ...  if it's mushy inside, it won't sound as clear.