How to choose a ripe watermelon - 17 tips
There are many lovers of watermelons, but it is extremely difficult to correctly find and choose a ripe and sweet watermelon, environmentally friendly, which contains a minimum amount of nitrates.
By tradition, summer is associated with travel, fresh herbs, the sun and beach vacations. In summer, you can enjoy the divine taste of a delicious treat - watermelon.
Juicy and velvety flesh will delight you with pleasant coolness on hot days. Previously, watermelon was considered a useless fruit. Over time, scientists have found that watermelon is a source of folic acid, which has a beneficial effect on chemical processes and blood circulation. The pulp contains a lot of iron, vitamin “C” and fiber.
6 secrets to choosing a juicy watermelon
In the summer heat, quench thirst and restore the fluid lost by the body juicy pulp of ripe watermelon.
Ripe watermelons appear on store shelves in mid-summer. If you see it in June, I recommend you refuse to purchase. Most likely, it is green and filled with nitrates. It is better to spend money on buying cherries, cherries or strawberries.
- Watermelons are bought only in specially equipped kiosks. It is important that they are as far from the carriageway as possible. When buying, make sure that they are not stored on the ground. It is allowed to store on pallets or trays.
- Do not follow the advice of the seller, choose without his help. First determine the size of the fetus. The optimal weight of 7-8 kg.
- Buy only whole fruits. Through damage, scratches and cracks, dirt or germs enter the pulp.
- Look for fruits with a contrasting pattern, they differ in friable and sweet flesh.
- Be sure to check the tail. A ripe watermelon is dry. A green ponytail does not indicate the maturity of the fetus.
- Knock. A loud sound is an indicator of the ripeness of the fetus, a dull one is an indicator of lethargy and prescription.
Rules for choosing a ripe watermelon
As my grandfather said, if the “Astrakhan” watermelon is on the store’s counter, this does not mean that it was brought from Astrakhan. This refers to the most popular Astrakhan variety.
Certain varieties of watermelons are often stimulated with nitrogen fertilizers. Pathogenic bacteria are found on the surface of a mature fetus. Often during loading, the fruits crack. Cracked fruit juice is an ideal medium for the reproduction of microbes that cause intestinal diseases.
High-quality ripe fruit can be safely eaten in its pure form, or used for liquor.
The carved pyramid is a popular technique used by sellers to prove the freshness of the fruit. This method is not trustworthy for me, sellers often use dirty knives.
5 main rules
- Make sure the stem is dry. She is an ideal indicator of ripeness.
- The sound of watermelon when patting depends on the flesh. Ripe makes a dull sound, green - rings.
- If the fruit squeezed by the hands pops, it is ripe.
- If the earth spot is white, you should not buy. It is recommended to give preference with a yellow spot.
- Ripe watermelon is easily scratched. In a ripe watermelon, the upper layer of the skin can be easily removed with a fingernail.
As you can see, there are many ways to determine ripeness.
How to determine the presence of nitrates in a watermelon
In summer, the largest number of food poisoning occurs. In hot weather, foods deteriorate, and producers add nitrates to accelerate ripening.
How to protect yourself from nitrate poisoning?
Buy products that are seasonally appropriate. For example, cherries and strawberries are bought in the summer. If they are offered in spring or autumn, they are greenhouse and contain nitrates.
Watermelons contain a lot of nitrates. According to sellers, this is due to the size of the fruit. True, and size is achieved thanks to nitrates. It is impossible to grow a huge fruit without nitrate treatment.
6 rules for determining nitrates
Buy a special device - nitratomer. With its help, the amount of nitrates in a watermelon is easily determined.
If you do not want to buy a nitrate meter, you can get sample information about nitrates yourself.
- Absolutely smooth surface of the fetus indicates the presence of nitrates.
- Cut the fetus and bring to the light source. The surface of the violet hue is an indicator of the presence of nitrates. The color should be red.
- Dip the pulp in clean water. If the water turns red, nitrates are present. If it gets cloudy, there is no nitrate.
- A ripe fruit containing nitrates with a slightly sour flavor.
- If the seller does not allow cutting the fruit, evaluate it by appearance. Containing nitrates does not make sounds when tapped. It becomes soft and resembles a shriveled ball.
- You can lower the watermelon into the water tank. If the fruit pops up, there is no nitrate.
Finally, I add, nitrates are concentrated not in the middle, but near the crust. If you are not sure about the ecological purity of the product, you should not eat up to the very crust.