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The onset of a watermelon pore in the second half of summer is eagerly awaited by both big and small gourmets. It so happened that in our country, where most of the territory belongs to the zone of risky farming, it is this southern culture that enjoys wide popularity and love. Juicy, sweet watermelon pulp not only perfectly quenches thirst on hot days, it gives pleasure to taste, pleasant emotions and is a source of many useful substances.
Ascorbic and folic acid, magnesium, iron and potassium, dietary fiber and pectins are present in ripe watermelon.
That's just how to determine what is hidden under the green dense skin? How to determine the ripeness of watermelon, so that, once on the table, the cut berries do not disappoint, revealing the tasteless pale pink flesh to the audience?
If watermelons are grown on their own plot, you should not worry about their quality, but the purchased fruits are sometimes, apart from the pale look, presented with much more unpleasant surprises. Non-compliance with agricultural practices, rules for the use of fertilizers and storage of watermelons entails the danger of poisoning. Therefore, it is important not only to be able to distinguish ripe berries from green ones, but to know how to choose the right watermelon that is safe for health.
Start of the watermelon pore
Buy watermelon in the supermarket today at any time of the year. Processed with preservatives or sweet fruits grown in greenhouses from remote corners of the world easily reach the Russian shelves. Is it possible to compare them with watermelons grown on the open field, in the country garden, under the hot summer sun? Based on the ripening of giant berries, we can conclude.
The first ripe watermelons on melons can appear only in July, and the mass gathering of these gifts of summer begins in mid-August and lasts until October.
And the earlier the watermelon falls on the counter, the greater the risk of its containing nitrates and other compounds that are dangerous for the body, causing increased growth in fruits. So you should not hurry, because it is much easier to choose a good watermelon when their mass ripening starts. The season of ripening of watermelons coincides with the time of a massive set of sweetness of grapes.
How to determine the ripeness of watermelon by the appearance of the bark?
Today, at the disposal of farmers and summer residents there are many varieties and hybrids of watermelons with a variety of patterns and color of the bark. Breeders offer to grow fruits not only with bright red or pink flesh, but also with yellow and even white. At the same time, no scientist was able to create a plant by the form of the berries of which it would be possible to determine the ripeness of a watermelon right on the bed.
And yet there are a number of signs on how to choose a ripe watermelon. When choosing a fetus pay attention to the condition of the peel, the brightness of the picture and the presence of all sorts of damage. With all the richness of the existing colors of watermelons, the pattern on the bark should be clear, and the color of monochromatic berries should be uniform. Watermelons with an uncharacteristic or blurred pattern should be set aside. After all, this may be a sign of not only the immaturity of the berry, but also a symptom of a disease, for example, a viral mosaic.
- Watermelons, which are not yet time to leave melon, have matte bark.
- At a ripe fruit, the peel becomes glossy and hardens to such an extent that it is difficult to pierce with a fingernail, and you can only scratch the top colored layer.
- In addition, for an immature watermelon, the damaged bark releases juice and emits a characteristic herbal smell.
According to popular observations, from striped watermelons you need to choose the one with the wider distance between the dark stripes.
But how to choose a delicious watermelon, if it is all dark green or, on the contrary, almost white? And in this case, and with the purchase of a fruit of a striped color, before choosing a watermelon, it is necessary to feel it. If dents, cracks or other peel defects are found on the surface, the watermelon has no place on the table, since harmful microorganisms, parasites and bacteria easily penetrate through the damaged areas. Do not buy a watermelon with a lethargic, crunched bark. It is not surprising if, when cutting such a watermelon, fermented, liquid or moldy pulp is found inside.
And some, even seemingly dry defects and traces of scab on the surface of the bark can signal scab or anthracnose damage, which leads to underdevelopment of the pulp and deterioration in the quality of watermelon. 
How to choose a watermelon in size and color of the earth spot?
Fruits grown on bahche necessarily have a characteristic spot on the peel - the place where watermelon touches the ground. In this area, the peel received less sunlight, less chlorophyll was produced there.
To determine the ripeness of the watermelon on the garden or on the counter, pay attention to the size, condition and color of such a spot:
- The bark should not be damaged or softer here than in other areas.
- There are no stripes on the earth spot. This suggests that the watermelon was not disturbed during growth.
A spot, on average, not exceeding 7-12 cm, ideally should have a yellow color, if the shade is closer to white, watermelon is better to lie on the bed for another couple of weeks.
Can I choose a sweet watermelon on a dry stalk?
Are there any tips on how to choose the right watermelon? You can often hear the recommendation that you can choose a delicious watermelon by taking a berry with a dry tail. But what if the watermelon on the counter has no peduncle at all, or by all indications does the ripe berry on the garden not want to separate from the native whip?
Indeed, in a fetus that has reached full maturity, the tail begins to dry:
- Knowing this, unscrupulous traders tear green watermelons, and the stalks dry as they are transported and stored.
- In addition, the tail could also dry out due to a twist or a fracture of the whip long before the ripening of watermelons.
- Also, having trusted the dry stalk, you can bring overhanged watermelon to the table.
Therefore, one should not completely trust this sign.
It is much safer to pay attention not to one of the signs of ripeness of watermelon, but immediately to their totality.
So, for example, in a sweet berry, ready to be harvested, the stem becomes smooth, with characteristic hairs that are present while the watermelon is unripe. If watermelons grow in the country, to determine the ripeness of the watermelon in the garden can be on other lines. For example, melon growers are well aware that the antennae at the place of attachment of the watermelon stem to the lash necessarily dry out when it comes time to pluck a ripe berry. Moreover, at the place where the flower was once, by the time of ripening there is no trace of the bract.
How to choose a good watermelon by weight?
And in China and other Asian countries, when collecting watermelons, they use another interesting feature of these berries. Mature watermelons due to the specificity of the internal structure are lighter than water and always float on the surface. Based on this, one more sign can be derived: how to choose a ripe watermelon. Of the two fruits of equal size, the one that is easier will be sweeter.
However, there is an exception. If at the beginning of summer there was cold, rainy weather, the situation is not excluded that this influenced the formation of watermelons, and there were no voids inside them. Such fruits even in ripe form seem less juicy, and closer to the core of the fabric noticeably coarser.
As for the actual weight of the watermelon, then at the beginning of the season, buying a sweet delicacy, it is more reasonable to give preference to medium fruits. And already in the midst of watermelon pores, you can enjoy real giants weighing from 7 to 15 kg.
How to choose a good watermelon by sound?
Often you can see how buyers or sellers tap on the peel or squeeze the fruit with their palms when determining the ripeness of a watermelon:
- In response to a knock, a ripe sweet watermelon makes a booming sound, but if the fruit is not yet ready to get on the table, the echo will be dull and unclear.
- When squeezed, a good watermelon may crackle slightly, the green fruit does not produce such an effect.
garden
The main thing when choosing a high-quality, tasty watermelon, do not forget that success is possible when all the considered signs are taken into account.
Summer residents who grow watermelons in their own beds do not worry about the quality of the fruit. They know for sure that, following the rules of agrotechnology, only healthy sweet berries without excessive amounts of nitrates, pesticides and dyes will be collected from the gourd.
How to choose a watermelon of proper quality?
But how to choose a good watermelon on the shop counter or in a vegetable tent? Do all sellers can be trusted, and how to protect themselves from poor quality fruits?
Approaching the counter, you need to pay attention to the conditions of injury and laying of watermelons. In the conditions of street trade for the sale of melons, special pavilions, equipped with pallets and canopies, are surely organized to protect watermelons from contact with the soil and sunlight. In the store, watermelons are also laid out on pallets or in baskets and are not in contact with the floor.
Since the pulp of watermelon instantly absorbs the slightest pollution, settling dust, and the pathogenic flora reproduces perfectly on the sweet pulp, you cannot buy watermelons at roadside points, or choose fruits with cracks and cuts.
It is better to refuse to buy watermelon if the seller cannot produce documents certifying the quality and safety of melons. In such certificates and certificates indicate the place of cultivation of the party, the date of harvest and its shelf life. A certificate from a specialized laboratory assures that there are no substances harmful to health in watermelons.
