Sweet and juicy watermelons are one of my favorite things about summer.  These tasty summertime treats are packed with nutrients and low in calories (an added bonus during swimsuit season).  Watermelon provides vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and is one of the best sources of lycopene, a powerful health-supporting antioxidant.  Lycopene has been linked to reducing risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and shown to protect our skin from damaging UV radiation.  The best thing about watermelon is one cup contains only 45 calories.

While we are right in the mist of summer, when watermelon is at its best, it is essential to know how to choose the perfect one.  There is nothing more disappointing than lugging a watermelon home and cutting it open only to find an inedible mushy mess or unripe center so here is the low down on how to pick the perfect watermelon every time.

Watermelons don’t ripen once picked-so it is important to pick a ripe watermelon right off the bat.  This can easily be done if you know what to look for – pick a melon with these 4 characteristics:

1.  Symmetrical

Regardless if the watermelon is oval, round, large, or small it is important that the melon is symmetrical in shape.

2.  Creamy Yellow “Ground Spot”

Turn the watermelon upside down where you should find a discolored spot on the belly.  This “ground spot” is where the melon was in contact with the ground while growing and should be a creamy yellowish color.  If it is light green then the watermelon was harvested too soon.  However some seedless watermelons don’t have any spots, which is the one exception to this rule.

3.  Heavy

Watermelons are primarily water – so a ripe melon will be heavy for its size.  Pick up a few different watermelons of similar size to determine which watermelons are heavy for their size.

4.  Firm

Make sure your melon is firm all over with no soft spots, bruises or cuts.

Once your perfect watermelon is home it is best to store at room temperature and should keep for up to 7-10 days.  Always wash the melon completely before cutting open and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.  Make sure to try out my watermelon salad with creamy mint dressing!

Have a great week.

Love,

Renee

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 at 3:39 am and is filed under Blog, Nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.