How do you know if melons are ripe?

Question

I never no if melons are ripe?

Answer 1

i work in produce and never had a return that i picked.  pick it up and thump on it listen for a higher pitch hollow bong bong sound and it should have a reverberation come from it.  if your still not sure ask your produce guys they will pick one or tell you if they all suck.

Answer 2

You sniff where the vine meets the fruit, and if it smells sweet, then it is ready for picking.

Answer 3

Depends on the type of melon.

I'm pretty sure you're talking about one of these;

Cantaloupes, honeydew melons, and other small melons do not produce the tendril like watermelons, so that clue is absent. They often do not produce a tell-tale soil spot, but they do give other clues. The cantaloupes with netted rinds have a "ground color" below the netting. When this color changes to a golden color, the melon is ripe.These melons will also soften at the end away from the stem as they ripen, so you can press gently with your thumb to choose the ripest melon. There is also a sweet fragrance which is obvious when smelling the rind of a ripe melon. When many of these smaller melons are ripe, the stem just naturally separates from the melon. This is called "slipping." When choosing a melon in the garden, the surest way to pick one which is ripe is to wait until the stem "slips" from the melon easily. Melons sold at produce stands and at grocery stores must be shipped, so they are harvested at the "half slip stage". Melons harvested at full slip stage from the garden will be sweeter than those from the store. However, using the clues of color, softness, and fragrance will allow you to pick a melon which is ripe.

If not, refer to the link below.

--Annie

Answer 4

Sniff it, and if it smells sweet, then it's right to eat!

Answer 5

the leaves on their vines start to die... if they're watermelons that is

Answer 6

curtis stone says smell the outside when ripe they smell like the melons when they are not they dont smell..:)

Answer 7

Tap it:) It'll make a ripe or a rotten sound:)

Answer 8

ok...on the very end...where it looks like a button, you press lightly...if it feels hard with no spring action...its' not ripe...if you push it in without too much resistance...it's ripe....

eat and enjoy!

Answer 9

But the farmers and store managers do also

Basically if they are in the store they are ripe..

The stock clerks started all the wives tales so they could watch you smelling them and getting all your bacteria on them,,, thumping hoping to find them hollow..and laughing

Sorry that may be true in your garden but not the grocers.

the farmer Knows the day he planted and the number of days to maturity he picks green so to insure the 2 weeks to get to the wholesale warehouses  they will be ripe then the auction to the stores give some more time to insure  it being ripe

You know as well as I.... You don't like it get your receipt and exchange it

Answer 10

They will be a nice green color, make sure it's not any shade of light green

Answer 11

Watermelons sound hollow when ripe.  For other melons, I go by the fragrance.  You can tell if they aren't ripe: no smell or over-ripe: rotten smell and usually pick a good one when it smells great.  Then you don't need to stick your nail into the rind and ruin it!