Let’s Pick and Cut Watermelon

watercolor of two triangles of watermelon

With Fourth of July right around the corner, let’s talk about picking out the perfect watermelon and slicing it up in a way that’s quick and easy!

PICKING OUT YOUR WATERMELON

watercolor of whole watermelon on a scale

STEP 1: PICK ONE THAT SEEMS HEAVY FOR ITS SIZE

This ensures your watermelon will be extra juicy.

STEP 2: MAKE SURE IT’S EVEN

It doesn’t matter if it’s oval or round. What matters is that it’s uniform for whatever shape you’re choosing. An uneven shape indicates it may have been watered unevenly.

watercolor image of two oval watermelons with field spots

STEP 3: LOOK FOR THE FIELD SPOT

The field spot is where the watermelon sat on the ground. You’re looking for a field spot that’s yellow or creamy. If your watermelon doesn’t have a field spot, or the field spot is white, that means it was picked before it was ripe and allowed to ripen off the vine. A watermelon ripened off the vine won’t be as sweet.

STEP 4: CHECK THE COLORING

You want the coloring to be dark and dull rather than light and shiny, because the skin becomes darker as it ripens. Don’t worry about the pattern on the outside. Different patterns are simply evidence of different varieties.

watercolor of watermelon with webbing and sugar spots

STEP 5: LOOK FOR WEBBING AND SUGAR SPOTS

Webbing is brown marks that have a slightly web shape to them with a small round spot in the middle. This is where bees punctured the fruit to pollinate it. More pollination means your fruit will be sweeter.

Sugar spots are brownish/blackish spots. They almost look like sap spots, with a rough texture to them. These spots are where so much sugar has developed in the fruit, it is literally seeping out. A melon with sugar spots is more likely to be sweet!

CUTTING YOUR WATERMELON

I used to hate cutting watermelon. I truly hated it. Then my sister taught me how. No wonder I hated it, I had been doing it wrong all along! Now I have no problem slicing it up. It’s quick and easy and makes for the perfect summer treat!

STEP 1: CUT THE WATERMELON IN HALF

watercolor of watermelon on cutting board

STEP 2: PLACE THE WATERMELON ON A CUTTING BOARD, FLAT SIDE DOWN.

STEP 3: CUT LINES FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM OF WATERMELON, DISCARDING THE END PIECES.

for watermelon sticks:

TURN THE BOARD AND REPEAT THE CUTS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.

This creates watermelon sticks that are easy to eat (especially for kids) and simple to cut into cubes without the rind for a fruit salad.

for watermelon triangles:

REMOVE EACH SLAB AND CUT INTO TRIANGLES ONE AT A TIME.

watercolor of watermelon with lines indicating where to slice

A WORD ABOUT STORAGE:

A watermelon that hasn’t been cut is best stored at room temperature. Watermelon stored in the refrigerator starts to develop an unpleasant, mealy texture. It’s okay to put it in the fridge for a few hours just before you’re going to serve it.

Once the watermelon has been cut, you should store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.