There’s nothing better than a delicious, juicy mini watermelon. And there’s worse than a mini watermelon that isn’t so good.
When you’re purchasing a watermelon, you want to ensure that you’re opting for the one that has the best flavor, because if you don’t, you’re going to be disappointed. I understand that it can be confusing, to find the mini watermelon that’s right, so I’m going to walk you through all the things that you need to know, to pick the best mini watermelon.
Ripe fruits are the best fruits (learn how to find ripe bananas here). So, it only makes sense that ripe watermelon are the best watermelon!
The next time that you’re browsing and looking for a ripe mini watermelon, you’re going to know exactly what to look for, because of this list. If you’re ready to find a mini watermelon that is satisfying and top-notch, then let’s get into it!
What are the Perks of Mini Watermelon?
Look, I know that you’re familiar with the huge watermelons that they sell at the grocery store. Well, if you think that those are your only options, then the good news is, that you’re wrong.
There are many downsides to the large watermelons, including the fact that they’re probably going to weigh about twenty pounds and be a burden to carry out of the store. If you opt for a mini watermelon, it’s only going to weigh about five pounds.
Light and easy to carry! A win!
If you aren’t sold on the importance of mini watermelons, yet, think about how much watermelon goes to waste, with large watermelons. Sure, large watermelons can be delicious, but if you’re only serving one or two people, they can be wasteful.
Whereas big watermelons can serve tons of people, if you’ve got a smaller family or you’re just serving yourself, it’s a good idea to get a mini watermelon. Plus, big watermelons have a tendency to go bad after only a short amount of time.
You might not know this, but small watermelons have a tendency to last for about seven to ten days, if you decide to keep them uncut. Once you cut the watermelon, it’s going to last for about three or four days, but still, this lifespan is longer than regular sized watermelons.
So, if mini watermelon last up to ten days uncut, that means that you can purchase several mini watermelons, instead of purchasing one big watermelon. Let’s say that you’ve got around five people in your family, and everyone likes watermelons.
If this is the case, then you might think: I need to get a big watermelon. But, let’s say that a few people in your family decide that they aren’t in the mood for watermelon, around the time that you cut into the big one.
If you get multiple small watermelons, then you could cut into the small watermelon, and serve the people who want watermelon. And you could save the other mini watermelons, for whenever more people are interested in the fruit.
I know wasting food bothers me, so if you cut into mini watermelon, then you’ll never have to worry about wasting food! You can serve lots of people (by purchasing lots of mini watermelon) or you can serve a few people (by purchasing one watermelon.)
Learn more about how to store watermelon, here. With those tips, you’ll optimize the freshness of your watermelon, even more.
So, mini watermelons are efficient, tasty, cost-conscious, and they reduce food waste. What’s better than that?
There’s one last thing that make mini watermelon top-of-the-line. And that is…they don’t have seeds, oftentimes.
Sure, there are some mini watermelon that have seeds, but many mini watermelon varieties don’t have seeds. When you’re biting down on a fresh piece of watermelon, you don’t want pesky seeds interfering with your bite.
Even worse, imagine you’re eating your watermelon, and you take a bite and swallow black watermelon seeds. That’s an uncomfortable sensation, for sure.
So, if you’re wanting to forgo seeds in watermelon altogether, be sure to opt for a mini watermelon. You’ve got to make sure the variety that you’re shopping for doesn’t have seeds, but more often than not, mini watermelons are seedless.
Basically, mini watermelons are a win. So, let’s figure out how you can pick the best mini watermelon possible.
How to Pick the Best Mini Watermelon
You don’t want to be in a situation where you get a watermelon that you’ve got to throw away. And although it might not seem like a big deal, there are a lot of things that you’ve got to consider, before you pick a mini watermelon at the store.
Like I’ve said, mini watermelons are great because they reduce food waste, but if you purchase a bad mini watermelon, then you’re going to create food waste.
You don’t want to waste your time with bad watermelons, so I’m going to outline some tips and tricks that will help you find the best mini watermelon possible. Here are some things to keep in mind, when you’re purchasing mini watermelon.
- Be sure to find the perfect field spot.
For those of you who don’t know what a field spot is, don’t worry. I’ll explain, because a field spot is actually one of the best indicators of whether or not your watermelon is going to be good.
A field spot is basically a mark on a watermelon, and that mark is residue from where the watermelon was sitting in the field it was grown in. The field spot is going to be a yellow color that resembles a cream tone.
Here’s the thing that you’ve got to remember: you want your field spot to be as dark yellow as possible. The field spot signals how long the watermelon was growing on the vine.
If the field spot appears to be extremely white—or if you don’t see a field spot at all—that means that your watermelon is going to be extremely underripe. However, if you’ve got a nice yellow field spot, then your watermelon is going to be better.
The longer the watermelon grows the more sweet it’s going to be. So, if you’re in the market for a watermelon that’s nice and sweet, opt for a watermelon with a nice, yellow field spot.
- Find a Watermelon that Has a Dull Exterior
It might seem like the best watermelon would be one that has a bright and shiny exterior, but actually, the watermelon that you should choose, is the one that has a dull exterior. This is because the duller the exterior is, the more ripe the watermelon is.
Sometimes this tip can be hard to follow, especially if the supermarket has watermelons with wax on the exterior. However, don’t be scared by dull mini watermelons, they’re the best!
- Use Your Knuckles to Knock on it
You want to ensure that your knuckles will bounce right off the watermelon, when you knock on it. In other words, you want your watermelon to have a hard surface and a firm surface, because if you find that your watermelon has a soft surface, it’s overripe.
Best case scenario, the watermelon that you choose does not push in at all, when you knock on it. This is a fool proof tip, to finding the perfect watermelon.
- Make Sure that Your Watermelon Takes a Uniform Shape
You don’t want a watermelon that has any kind of strange shape or irregular bumps. Although, it is important to remember, that watermelons come in tons of different kinds of shapes.
For example, they come in rounded shapes and oval shapes. And it actually doesn’t matter how round or how oval your watermelon is.
You’ll only run into problems when your watermelon doesn’t take a uniform round or oval shape. This means, that if there are strange indents and bumps, steer clear.
- Find Sugar Spots and Pollination Marks on the Watermelon
Black spots on your watermelons are not bad signs. In fact, they’re great signs!
If your watermelon has black spots on it, that’s a signal of a sugar spot. A sugar spot is a place where sugar is coming out of your watermelon, which shows that you’ve got an incredibly sweet watermelon.
Plus, if you see a bunch of dots that form a line, that means that you’ve found a mini watermelon with pollination points. You want to find a watermelon with as many pollination points as possible.
I’ve talked you through five tips to find the best mini watermelon. If you follow these tips, then you’re on your way to getting the best mini watermelon that the grocery store has to offer.
There’s nothing better than fresh watermelon, and when your watermelons are incredibly fresh, that’s even better. You don’t want to take any gambles, when you’re purchasing mini watermelons, because when you do, you might end up with a bad pick.
You don’t have to guess, when you’re purchasing watermelon, if you follow these tips. Now, instead of purchasing a bad mini watermelon, you’re going to purchase the best ones available.
I hope that you’ve found this list of tips helpful, because I’ve found that these tips have been life changing. Since I’ve followed these tips, I’ve always been able to pick the best watermelons.
And I hope that you’re able to have the same kind of success, too! Happy mini watermelon shopping!
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