The watermelon's favorite summer delicacy perfectly quenches thirst, has many useful qualities, is an ingredient in light and dietary dishes, and is also used in the preparation of diets and for cosmetic purposes. That is why the choice of a quality and natural product should be treated with increased attention. And in this article we will talk about how to choose the ripe and high-quality melon fruit, what signs should be guided by, and the main recommendations and tips for storing and consuming this berry will be considered.
Did you know? According to the Guinness Book of Records, the heaviest watermelon weighs 159 kg and was grown by Chris Kent from the United States in 2013.
How to choose a watermelon
A correctly selected fetus carries many useful substances for the human body, including vitamin complexes, mineral compounds, as well as macro- and microelements. That is why it is important to pay attention to the quality of the purchased product, because the wrong choice can cause undesirable consequences. Let's look at the main factors that will help describe what a quality watermelon looks like.
To size
Everyone knows the rule of the "golden mean," which applies to watermelons. This is due to the fact that excessively large red fruits, usually abundant on store shelves and bazaars, are often crammed with nitrates and other harmful compounds, which make them so impressive.
Important! It is not recommended to purchase watermelons earlier than the beginning of August, as their biological ripening cycle only begins from this summer month. In the process of growing watermelons that appeared on the shelves earlier than August, with a high degree of probability, top dressings with a high nitrate content were used, as well as special products that accelerate ripening.
Small watermelons, as a rule, on the contrary, do not receive in sufficient quantities one or another mineral necessary for full growth and development, and therefore they also cannot be considered the best option. Therefore, the watermelon berry recommended for purchase should be of medium size with a weight of about 5-7 kg.
By sound and crunch
Another option for checking the fruit of gourds for ripeness and quality is its sound when tapped. This check can be done with a few clicks on the peel of the berry. If the sound was deaf, the watermelon berry is ripe, but if, on the contrary, it is sonorous, then such a fruit is considered green and not ripened.
In appearance of the peel
You can determine the degree of maturity of the gourd by the appearance of the peel. The ripe fruit has a brighter outer shell of saturated tones. Also, such a peel has a barely noticeable matte gloss, which is not found in unripe representatives of melon. Striped varieties of watermelons can also be recognized by the contrast between the strips, it rises with the ripening process. The line between the stripes is clearly defined, and the color of the dark areas takes on almost a black tint.
Did you know? Watermelons are a great source of lycopene. — an antioxidant that reduces the risk of several types of cancer, including cancer of the lungs, prostate and stomach.
By smell
Another option for how to understand whether a ripe watermelon berry or not is its smell. Unripe fruits often have a pronounced aroma of freshly cut grass or greenery. Ripe representatives of melons and gourds have a more characteristic smell for a red delicacy, with its inherent sweetish tint.
Side spot on the field
A distinctive feature of the fully ripened fruits of melons is the so-called field spot, located on one of the sides, which is adjacent to the ground. At this point, the peel of the watermelon has a rich yellow hue, which indicates the ripeness of the berry. If such a field spot has a lighter, almost white color or light green, then inside it it also did not ripen.
On the floor of a watermelon
One of the features when choosing delicious melons is the gender of the melons. So female fruits are recognized by flatter ends with wide specks from the tail. They contain fewer seeds, have a higher sweetness and a pronounced taste. Male berries, on the other hand, are less sweet and tasty, and their flesh contains more seeds. Male watermelon can be recognized by the convex ends and small specks from the tail.
How to identify a spoiled watermelon
Until the watermelon berry is cut, it can be stored for about three months in perfect condition. Some fruits ripen during this time and acquire all the necessary taste and aromatic properties of a real red treat. If the peel is already incised, has dents, scratches or abrasions, it is possible to introduce harmful infections and bacteria into the flesh that could get into unprotected areas through the air or in contact with dust, the surface of the knife, various insects or non-sterile hands of the seller (and perhaps the buyer himself).
Therefore, when choosing a watermelon, carefully inspect its peel for any mechanical damage. If any were found, choose a different fruit. A striking sign of watermelon spoilage is a characteristic sour, rotten smell, which indicates the beginning of fermentation and oxidation. If you feel such a smell, feel free to throw gourds into waste. Also, you should not eat sluggish fruits whose flesh has lost its crisp properties. Do not allow long-term storage of watermelon in a cut form.
Important! So that the watermelon does not begin to rot, it should be periodically turned from side to side, because the place of contact and pressure is the focus of such processes.
It is recommended to use it in the next 3-5 hours from the moment of incision, in order to exclude the possibility of introducing spores of infections that could cause future troubles with your body (bloating, colic, stomach pain, profuse diarrhea, and others). The stickiness and tarnishing of the red pulp also indicate the onset of oxidative processes and damage to the fetus. It is not recommended to leave its juice inside an unfinished watermelon, because the liquid will only accelerate the fermentation and spoilage of the berry.
Is it possible to eat a watermelon when it started to deteriorate
In order not to look for the answer to the question of why people pickle a spoiled watermelon, it is worth remembering that such a fruit is not suitable for food. If any of the above signs of the onset of spoilage have been noticed, it is better to throw such a watermelon without regret, than then suffer with the consequences of poisoning or even get into the hospital under a dropper. If for any reason you did not recognize in time that the melon fruit on your table has already begun to deteriorate, you should know the signs of poisoning in order to take appropriate measures in time.
- These symptoms include:
- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
- abdominal pain;
- fever;
- signs of intoxication of the body (weakness, aches).
In the event that such ailments have been identified in you or your loved ones after consuming the melon crop fruit, you should resort to first aid as soon as possible, and also, if necessary, consult a doctor. The provision of first aid in case of poisoning with watermelon berry, which began to rot and deteriorate, boils down to the following actions:
- Drink the patient with a weak potassium permanganate solution to help induce vomiting and empty the body of toxic substances.
- Give any absorbent, for example, activated carbon.
- To put to bed and periodically bring a drink (it is better to serve boiled water or plain water without gas).
If such actions did not alleviate the situation, you should immediately contact your attending pediatrician, and especially if a child, an elderly person, or a pregnant woman have been poisoned.
Rules for storing watermelon at home
At home, it is recommended to store the watermelon in a dark, cool place with low humidity and optimal temperature in the range from +1 to +5 degrees. An ideal storage location would be a refrigerator, where all the prescribed conditions for the successful and long-term storage of gourds are taken into account. An untouched watermelon in such conditions can last up to three months, in a cut form - no longer than 5 hours, as there is a danger of infection when it was on the table.
Guided by the tips given in this article for choosing high-quality, natural and ripe watermelons, you can easily distinguish a real gourd from a grown on nitrates. Now you know by what signs a watermelon that has started to deteriorate is recognized, and how to provide first aid in case of unintentional poisoning. And storage recommendations will help stretch the pleasure of red treats for a longer period.
