With an open palm, slap the watermelon. A high-pitched tone indicates green or under-ripe product. A dull sound or dead thud indicates an over-ripe melon. A deep-pitched tone indicates a melon that is ripe. Slap a number of melons one after the other and
Small melons are the hardest to test for ripeness since most will sound green even if they are ripe. If you need a small amount of watermelon, it is best to buy a piece of a larger one. It may be more expensive per pound, but you will be more likely to ge
Melons may be kept at room temperature, un-cut, for about two weeks. Store whole melons at 50-60°F. Cut melons should be wrapped and stored at 40-50°F.
Watermelon, considered one of America's favorite fruits, is really a vegetable (Citrullus lanatus). Cousin to the cucumber and kin to the gourd, watermelons can range in size from 7 to 100 pounds. The world record for the largest watermelon grown is 255 pounds, grown by Vernon Conrad of Bixby, Oklahoma!
Historians say watermelons first grew in the middle of the Kalahari Desert. They were a source of water for thirsty traders, who began to sell the seeds in cities along the ancient Mediterranean trade routes.
Cultivation of watermelon spread throughout Africa and, by the 1600s, watermelon made its way to Great Britain, Spain, China and beyond. Watermelon arrived in North America courtesy of European colonists and African slaves.