A melon with the perfect point of sweetness, neither that it seems that you are eating a cucumber or drinking a cough syrup and that it is firm is one of the greatest delicacies that you can taste. This fruit, which is really a vegetable, belonging to the cucurbit family, like cucumber, pumpkin and watermelon, is very healthy: it is low in calories, high in fiber, vitamin C and potassium . Also, if you buy melon in season, it is a very inexpensive food. Come on, he has it all. The only thing missing is that the one you choose is rich. We give you a few tips to help you choose a good melon. Take good note!
To start, choose the melon from the top of the pile . According to the OCU (Organization of Consumers and Users), “the specimens that are at the top of the fruit shop suffer less blows and are usually in better condition.”
When touching the melon, it should be hard . If it is soft, it is most likely to be soggy. Melons El Abuelo recommends tapping it on the side. If it vibrates inside, the fruit will be ready.
To know if it is ripe or not, the OCU advises to squeeze its ends . If it’s perfect to eat, “the base will give slightly and the other end (the peduncle) will bulge a bit.”
In the case of Piel de Sapo melons, when choosing a good specimen, you can look at the stripes on the skin. For it to be good, according to Melones El Abuelo, they should measure between 1 and 3 millimeters. Visually you can also check that it has no defects, yes, without obsessing over it. The fact that the melon has a light spot indicates where it rested on the ground while it was on the plant. “If that area has a greenish color, it means that the piece is not as ripe as it should be and, for example, in the case of Piel de Sapo melons we will choose pieces where that area should be more yellow,” they recommend from Frutas Olivar. As for the color, if it is very intense green, it is not yet to be eaten . Nor if the surface shines.
Another sign that the melon is ready for consumption is that when shaken it sounds compact. This means that their meat is brown, as it should be. If a melon is very large but not heavy, a bad matter , and it is more than likely that it is too ripe, not recommended for consumption. On the contrary, if we take a small melon, but it weighs a lot, it is most likely that it has a lot of pulp. It will be necessary to shake it to know if it has more water than necessary.
To know how ripe it is, experts recommend smelling the melon pendulum (the part where the flower was before it became a fruit or the end opposite the stem). The aroma that we will perceive should be sweet , but not strong, since the latter will indicate that it is very ripe.
And to finish one last tip: it is preferable to buy the whole melon, not cut into halves. Buying melon or watermelon already cut can entail risks of food poisoning, especially if these are not kept in a refrigerator in the establishment that sells them. Avoid cut fruit that is exposed to room temperature .
