How to choose a ripe and sweet watermelon: what to look for when buying and choosing a fruit in the garden

Watermelon is not only tasty, but also a valuable product. With frequent consumption of fruit pulp, general well-being improves, metabolism and weight are normalized, and the risk of developing diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and digestive organs is reduced. The berry has a positive effect on the condition of the skin: nourishes, moisturizes, slows down the aging process, stimulates tissue renewal and growth. However, not every watermelon has beneficial qualities: the fruits accumulate nitrates, which cause stomach pain, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea.

Let's look at how to choose a ripe and sweet watermelon at the market, in a store or in a garden, what to look for and how to check the nitrate content at home.

How to choose a watermelon

The safest option is to eat your own watermelon. Or grown in guaranteed normal conditions in compliance with all technologies. When buying fruit at the market or in a store, you risk purchasing fruits grown with excess fertilizer.

When growing melons, producers use various agrochemicals, growth stimulants, and pest repellents that are toxic to the body.

When purchasing a fruit, it is necessary to correctly assess its quality and check for ripeness. First of all, they focus on appearance, color, aroma, smell:

1. What does a good watermelon look like? It has a dense peel without signs of spoilage or damage, the stripes are clear and bright.The top layer is shiny, without a matte coating. On the side there is a small yellow earthen spot (5–10 cm).
2. Fruits with a green aroma may be unripe. Ripe ones have a neutral odor.
3. You cannot buy a watermelon without a tail, as it determines the ripeness of the fruit. A sign of a ripe and tasty watermelon is a moderately dry stalk. A green tail indicates that the berry has not reached ripeness, too dry - that it has been stored for a long time or is already overripe.
4. Melon crops are also distinguished by gender. The male berry has a convex bottom with a small circle. “Girls” are smaller, have a flattened shape, a flat bottom with a wide circle. Compared to taste, women's watermelons are sweeter and contain fewer seeds.
5. A ripe fruit cracks when squeezed and makes a booming sound when you tap the peel with your hand.
6. Ideally, the weight is 5–10 kg. If you choose a fruit that is too large, there is a possibility that it will be oversaturated with nitrates. The small berry has not yet had time to grow and ripen, so it will be unsweetened and green inside.

Place and time of purchase

Be sure to ask the seller for a certificate from the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision or other documents certifying the quality of the watermelon. It is better to buy melons in specially designated and equipped places on the market or near the field where they grew.

Experts advise not to purchase the fruit near the highway, as the pulp absorbs road dust and dirt through the peel.

Important! Pay attention to the storage conditions of the fruit. They must be in special pallets, at least 0.2 m high, so as not to come into contact with the ground. Points of sale must be under cover.

You can’t eat watermelons before August: the period from mid-August to the end of September is the time for the crop to ripen in nature.Earlier varieties contain a lot of nitrates, which cause oxygen starvation, intoxication, disrupt the functions of the gastrointestinal tract and increase the risk of cancer.

Tips for choosing a good fruit

Food quality experts share tips on how to choose a delicious, sweet and healthy watermelon:

• A perfectly shaped berry may be tasty, but not healthy: most likely, such a watermelon was grown with the addition of pesticides. The sweet and natural fruit often has an irregular shape, sufficient weight (up to 10 kg), and a yellow spot on the side.
• Do not buy melons with traces of adhering dirt: it contains harmful microorganisms that, if they enter the stomach, can cause intoxication and worsen general well-being and health.
• Do not ask the seller to make an incision on the watermelon, since it is not known in what sanitary conditions the knives are stored - microbes can penetrate into the pulp through dirty peels.
• Dip the fruit into water: the ripe and juicy fruit will float to the surface.
• Seeds Ripe berries are dark brown, closer to black. They are eaten after frying them in a frying pan or in the oven. Such grains are used as medicine. White seeds are a sign of nitrate pulp or unripe fruit and are not suitable for food.
• When the skin of an unripe watermelon is damaged with a fingernail, juice will be released and a herbal smell will appear.
• Before use, wash the fruit thoroughly with a brush or sponge and wipe dry with a towel.
• A whole ripe watermelon can be stored for 3 months, a cut one - no more than 3 days. Leave the berries in the refrigerator or a cool, dark place under cling film.

Testing for nitrates

It is impossible to visually determine whether fruit pulp contains nitrates or other harmful chemicals.

The easiest way to assess the safety of a fruit is to use a nitrate tester.. The standards for the content of harmful substances for all products are already entered into the device’s memory. The screen will turn green if the nitrate content is normal and the product is safe, yellow - if the norm is slightly exceeded, red - if the product is dangerous.

Determine the presence of nitrates at home using fruit pulp. In a safe watermelon it is red, has grains and white veins, while in a nitrate watermelon it is smooth, purple in color with yellow veins. Another way to check is to stir a small piece of pulp in water. If the berry is natural, the liquid will become cloudy. Rose water is a sign of a low-quality fruit.

For reference! The largest amount of nitrates is found in the peel and white pulp. Therefore, if you suspect that the fruit is unsafe, eat it carefully, not reaching the white border with the crust.

Choosing a watermelon in the garden

How to check the ripeness of a watermelon in the garden? Here they rely on the same signs of a ripe fruit:

• the dry tail is yellow, but not overdried;
• dried tendrils at the place where the stalk attaches to the lash;
• booming sound when tapped;
• yellow earthen spot on the side no more than 10 cm;
• clearly defined striped pattern;
• shiny top layer without matte finish;
• large but not heavy fruit;
• cracking sound when squeezing the sides with hands;
• hard bark (if the berry is unripe, the peel can be easily pressed with a fingernail).

Read also:

Do blue watermelons exist or is it an internet myth?

Is it possible to eat watermelon on an empty stomach?

Simple and delicious recipes for making watermelon marmalade.

Conclusion

It is advisable to use your own melons: only in this case can you be sure of the quality of the product - all that remains is to determine the ripeness of the fruits and harvest on time.

When purchasing at the market or in a store, there is a possibility of purchasing a nitrate product. Knowing the external signs of a ripe and sweet watermelon, it is easier to choose it, reducing the risk of poisoning with harmful substances.