How to Pick a Ripe Melon Every Time

Ripeness is what we're all looking for when we cut into a melon, right? No one likes flavorless fruit. Because of their size and weight, melons are more expensive than many other seasonal fruits but you get more servings. Still, it's no fun when those servings are a disappointment.

Fortunately, harvested melons that you'll find at the grocery store and the farmers market give off some clues about their ripeness.

Cantaloupe

When you cut into a cantaloupe and find the fruit hard and pale instead of juicy and orange, there's nothing you can do about it. You're stuck with unripe fruit. The California Cantaloupe Advisory Board has advice on how to pick a ripe cantaloupe:

• Look for raised, cream-colored ridges (the part that looks like a net) over most of the cantaloupe. If one portion is lighter and has fewer ridges, that's where the cantaloupe touched the ground as it grew, and that's normal.
• Make sure the melon is free of bruising.
• The stem should be smooth, round and yield to light pressure.
• The melon should have a sweet musky aroma.
• If you aren't cutting into the cantaloupe immediately, store it in the refrigerator. If you only cut part of the melon, leave the seeds in the uncut part, wrap it tightly and store in the refrigerator.

Honeydew

Don't judge honeydew by the flavorless chunks you've gotten in supermarket fruit salads. It's possible for honeydew to be ripe and sweet. In fact, it can be even sweeter than a ripe cantaloupe. Albert's Organics offers these tips on how to pick a ripe honeydew:

• Don't pick a green honeydew; pick a white or yellow one. A white one is not yet ripe, but it will ripen over time on the counter. A yellow one is ripe.
• Feel the outside of the smooth rind. Is it a little sticky? If so, that's a good thing. That means there's ample sugar and some is coming to the surface.
• The blossom end (opposite of the stem) should give a bit when light pressure is applied.
• The whole melon should have a strong, sweet smell.
• If you shake a ripe honeydew, you may be able to feel the seeds rattling around.
• A ripe honeydew should be stored in the refrigerator, and like a cantaloupe, it's best when cut right before serving. Leave the seeds in any uncut part, wrap tightly, and return to the refrigerator.

Watermelon

When choosing a watermelon to eat or to get juice for watermelon cocktails, look for these signs that the fruit is ripe, juicy and flavorful.

• The field spot, the part where the melon touched the ground, should be golden, creamy yellow or orange-yellow. White or green field spots mean the melon was picked before it was ripe.
• The melon should be fairly symmetrical.
• Make sure it's free from blemishes and bruising.
• It should be very heavy. A watermelon that feels too light won't give you the flavor you're looking for.

A note about melon safety

Ripeness isn't the only thing you should consider when you're choosing a melon, though. Melons are one of the foods that may contain salmonella. While it's impossible to see salmonella or other contaminants on melons, there are some steps you can take to minimize the chance those contaminants will make you or your family sick. Michigan State University Extension offers these tips:

• Don't buy melons with cuts, bruises or blemishes.
• Wash all melons before storing or cutting. Any contaminants on the outside of the melon can be transferred to the fruit inside when the knife passes through the rind and into the flesh.
• Wash your hands before cutting melons.
• Make sure your knife and cutting board are clean.
• Keep cut melon in the refrigerator or an ice chest so any germs that might be on the fruit don't have a chance to grow.
• Throw away any cut melon that sits out at room temperature for longer than two hours.
• Take any melon recalls seriously.