White spots inside the watermelon. What do the yellow and white streaks in the flesh of a watermelon mean? So, where and in what conditions did we buy watermelons

07.09.2020

Ripe watermelon pulp is red, juicy and tasty. In unusual varieties, it may have a shade butter... But why does the watermelon turn white both outside and inside? This fruit is unripe and contains chemicals. Agricultural producers, using compounds harmful to the human body, sell the goods that artificially gained weight earlier than others. To protect yourself from low-quality products, you need to carefully check them.

How to distinguish an unusable watermelon?

Fruits that are unevenly colored, have spots and cracks, should be discarded. If external signs no, then small cracks may appear inside, separating the pulp, and seeds covered with mucus.
The problem with buying a low-quality watermelon is that it can be found before serving. In no case should you eat a berry - there are several reasons for this.

Yellow-white veins with a rough texture

Finding them inside a watermelon, know that the melon was poisoned with saltpeter. The veins are formed by the chemical as the fetus and lash develop at an accelerated rate. Unripe vessels feed the berry, which grows rapidly due to nitrates. With a fast growing season, watermelons turn yellow or brownish. Once in the human body, nitrogen compounds disrupt metabolism, inhibit the central and autonomic nervous system, and lower immunity.

Sluggish, loose inside

Nitrates speed up cellular processes in watermelons. Moreover, this happens even after the harvest. If you purchased a watermelon, finding friability in combination with white, slightly juicy pulp, there are all risks of poisoning.

Uneven color of the flesh

When cut, it can be seen that there are various spots inside the berry - white, pink, deep red and purple. Areas with a diameter of 2-50 mm are compacted, and thin yellow veins pass through them. Eating the fetus will lead to diarrhea, vomiting and metabolic disturbances.
When the signs of nitrate damage on the watermelon and inside it are invisible, you should pay attention to the thick skin. If it is not typical for the variety, refuse to purchase. The reason to discard the berry will be the lack of sweetness of taste and the aftertaste of the fermented product.

The reasons why the pulp turns white

Find out why the crop is harvested early and quickly realize it, will help the recommendations of experts. Experienced agronomists distinguish between safe and unsafe ways to accelerate the growth of watermelons.

Organization of film shelters. Growth of planting material is accelerated under agrofibre or plastic wrap. A speck from the sun's rays does not form on the surface of the berry.
Use of nitrogen growth stimulants. Due to additives, nitrates accumulate in the core of the fruit. Melon cultivators increase the dose of additives at random, accelerating the growing season by a month. The product turns out to be of low quality, but it can be quickly sold.
Fetal injections. To give a marketable appearance to an unripe watermelon, injections of a solution of manganese or saltpeter are made inside. With a beautiful surface, the pulp can cause poisoning.

In order to avoid the negative consequences of eating early fruits, it is better to buy them in August or September. Melons are not recommended to be stored open at room temperature.

Watermelon diseases causing white spots

In addition to the impact of the human factor, watermelons are affected by diseases. White areas on the surface of the fruit indicate fungal bacteriosis or infection.

Sclerotinia

Fungus, as a result of which plaque appears on the surface of the berry. The disease occurs in conditions of waterlogging or cold snaps. Due to white rot, not only fruits, but also stems with leaves, become unusable.

Bacteriosis

Angular spotting is a consequence of insect exposure to watermelons. At first, the leaves become whitish with a grayish tint, then the branches and stems fall off. The growth of fruits with bacteriosis stops, they become soft and transparent. The last stage - the watermelon turns white completely inside. It is recommended to eliminate the entire bush, since there are risks of damage to the seeds.

Powdery mildew

Fungal pathology affects leaves and berries. In structure, the specks resemble flour. If the leaves are sick, then with the development of the disease, they fall off. Watermelon fruits are deformed, subsequently rot and lose their sugar content.
Diseases are fought by digging up the soil, removing and burning the affected melons.

Risks of nitrate poisoning

Plant products containing nitrates are hazardous to human health. If 3.5 g of potassium nitrate enters the digestive system, a lethal outcome is possible. Nitrogen compounds disrupt blood and tissue metabolism, which is detrimental to the heart and blood vessels. Due to the ability of nitrates to expand the walls of arteries, capillaries and veins, pressure drops and hypoxia occurs.

Signs of melon poisoning

Food poisoning is accompanied by a headache with an increased amount of nitrates. A person has an increase in temperature, vomiting and diarrhea, lips, nails and mucous membranes turn blue. In difficult cases, there are risks of allergies or skin rashes, disturbances in the activity of the central nervous system. A person feels pain in the back of the head, dizziness, causeless drowsiness occurs, coordination of movements is upset, and convulsions occur.
The patient is hospitalized, but before the arrival of the doctor, it is recommended to take potassium permanganate, sorbents, and gastric lavage.

Checking watermelon for nitrates at home

To find out the difference between a berry containing nitrates and an edible watermelon, the following tricks will help:

When tapping on a ripe, high-quality fruit, a ringing sound is heard. The nitrate berry will make a dull sound, like a deflated ball.
A healthy and good watermelon crackles a little when squeezed, this does not happen with nitrate.
The surface of the culture not exposed to nitrates has bright color and clear drawing.
Stimulant injection sites are a few rotten points.
A good tasty fruit has a sugar textured red pulp, and a nitrate pink has a glossy shade.
A slice of nitrate berry stains the water. If you put a slice of healthy watermelon in a glass of water, the water will become cloudy.

To avoid poisoning, do not purchase cut fruits, especially if you can see that the watermelon is on the counter with ugly white pulp. Avoid cracked berries with white patches.

What do you associate with a ripe watermelon? With aromatic sweet red pulp. But it turns out that white watermelon can be just as tasty. If only the unusual color is a sign of the variety, and not the product of unscrupulous sellers.

Unusual variety

“White miracle” is the name of a variety with a color unusual for watermelon pulp. His ancestors lived in South Africa, in the dry Kalahari desert. There they were wild, small and tasteless, sometimes even bitter. But to find even such a fruit in an arid area, travelers considered it happiness - it was often the only source of moisture.
Today it is a large berry with a thin skin. Inside, it has a sweet, sugar-colored flesh of white color and an unusually fresh aroma of strawberries and cucumbers.
Other unusual varieties of watermelon are also known. Who knows what other color the wonderful breeders will want to paint the watermelon pulp?

Unripe berry

But more often than not, the acquisition of a watermelon with white flesh entails not admiration, but disappointment. Why? Because these are unripe fruits stuffed with chemicals. How do you recognize them?

Signs

You can distinguish them by following signs:

white bloom on the surface;
the pulp is unevenly colored, in places it is white, pink, intense red or even purple;
the fibers inside the pulp are not white, but yellow and rough;
the middle is loose, with grains, cracks and voids;
the inside is not dark brown, but white seeds surrounded by mucus;
with the naked eye, yellow and white streaks, spots are visible.

Usually, such a fruit is not at all sweet and fermented. It has a thick rind that you will probably see rotted spots on.

If you find the listed signs inside the watermelon, stop using it. Otherwise, you can get severe poisoning.

Causes

You can get a ready-made fruit in June-July in several ways, some of which are unsafe for human health:

1.Safe way.
The plant is covered with a film, under which it grows and ripens faster. On such a watermelon, you will not find a speck from the sun.

2. An unsafe way.
The juicy middle accumulates toxic nitrates. The most common growth stimulant is nitrogen. By increasing its dose, melon growers successfully accelerate its growth and shorten the growing season by almost a month. And they do not think at all about the sad consequences of the use of such an agricultural product.

3. Another unsafe way.
You can turn a safe watermelon into a dangerous one after it has been removed from the melon - unripe and with white flesh. Marketable condition give by injecting a solution of potassium permanganate or saltpeter inside.

Press down on the surface of the berry. In no case do not buy it if pink water comes out.

But it is better to wait until August and September, when quality fruits appear on the shelves.

It is difficult to resist the temptation to buy the earliest fruits and berries, but the appearance of such a fruit can be very strange and the taste suspicious. Sometimes we see by cuttingwatermelon white streaks what is it? Naturally, farmers tend to start harvesting earlier.

Aggressive agricultural technology is a common way to accelerate the ripening of the crop, and first of all, nitrogen fertilizers are used to increase yields. It is pointless to dispute the need to use dressings, but there is a measure for everything.

Causes of white streaks in watermelon

An excess of nitrogen fertilizers when growing plants adversely affects the health of a person who eats their fruits. Basically, the surplus of mineral fertilizers accumulates in the crust. A white streaks of watermelon what is it? These, one might say, fiber , are initially light in color and provide the fruit with nutrients. But under the influence of nitrates, they thicken, their color changes, then they appearwatermelon has yellow streaks or white.

Why does watermelon have loose flesh

The fruit looks most appetizing, the pulp of which has a dense and grainy (sugary) appearance. But everyone had to buy strong-looking fruits, the structure of which was disappointing. Ifthe flesh of the watermelon is loose, this may be due to several reasons: In overripe berries, the insides change a lot. Near the crust, the pulp retains its firmness, sugar-like appearance, and closer to the center, it softens.

But this is a completely normal, natural ripening process. If the pulp is not easy loose , but easily wrinkled by fingers, became soft , then it is not advisable to eat such a fruit. Improper storage also leads to structural changes. Many vendors store their crops in open areas, not protected from sunlight. You buy such a watermelon, cut it - and he soft inside, sluggish.

It's nice to feast on chunks of chilled watermelon. But if they are forgotten about and kept in the cold for a long time, the frozen pulp can also become wadded.

The taste of watermelon is bitter

Sweet and juicy are the most common characteristics of the most popular melon crop. And if its pulp acquires bitter smack, it becomes an unpleasant surprise. There may be several reasons for this phenomenon:

too long storage can lead to a change in taste, the structure of the melon pulp (it becomes soft);
in Thailand and Turkey, fruits can be treated with a special gas - ethylene. Thus, the harvest is better preserved during transport. Most often, under the influence of a substance, the structure of the pulp becomes fibrous , it acquires a bitter taste;
violation of storage rules that lead to damage to the crust. Through small cracks, bacteria enter the pulp, and from this it bitter.

Not worth buying watermelon wedges... Even if the halves are neatly covered with foil, it is not known how long ago they were cut, where and in what conditions they were stored.

Uneven flesh color

Have different varieties the shade of the pulp is different. Usually, the flesh of a deep red is more sugary, but the raspberry varieties are juicier, but not very sweet. Even small yellow areas of pulp mean a lot of chemicals, and these fruits are best disposed of.

The reasons why the pulp turns white

Increasingly, buyers, when purchasing a watermelon, ask to cut it. Because it is not uncommon for a seemingly ripe fruit to turn out to be white inside.

Sometimes the pulp can have an uneven color - separate light areas. If this watermelon was not plucked completely unripe, then the main reason for the unnatural shade is an excess of nitrates. Yellowish fibers, loose structure - all these signs confirm a large presence of chemicals. Naturally, the appearance of the fruit is not appetizing, and it is very dangerous to eat it.

How to pick a good watermelon

In late summer, watermelons fill the shelves of shops and markets. Each customer has their own selection tricks. But in general, attention is paid to the shape, weight, shade of the peel.

By the appearance of the bark

Ripe watermelon has a complete skin, no damage, soft areas, cracks. Often on the counter there are fruits with a small crack. Damage like this is a great breeding ground for bacteria, so even a big discount cannot be a compelling reason to buy.

It is very doubtful to judge the ripeness by the shade of the bark. Indeed, the stores sell a variety of varieties, each of which has its own color. But the appearance of the peel may well tell about the maturity of the fruit. If it is ripe, the surface is hard, shiny, but it is easy to scratch it even with a fingernail.

By the size and color of the earthen spot

On the crust, you can always see the place where it touched the ground. By the shade of this rounded area, one can judge the maturity of the fruit. If the spot has a pale yellow tint (even, rather, whitish) or it does not exist at all, this means that the crop was harvested early and not ripe. In ready-to-eat specimens, the earthen spots are dark yellow or even orange. The spot diameter depends on the size of the watermelon and ranges from 5-10 cm.

On a dry stalk

Usually, buyers take a close look at the stalk. It is believed that a dry tail is a sign of maturity. This should not be trusted, because the watermelon could have been picked green, after a while it “ripened” and the tail dried up.

It must be borne in mind that a completely dry stalk or even its absence can be signs of overripe, and the pulp will be sluggish, not juicy at all.If the tail is green, it means that the watermelon was literally put in.

By weight

This sign can be considered both objective and subjective at the same time, since the preferences of buyers are different: some love exceptionally large fruits, and some prefer small specimens. Ripe fruits in individual varieties weigh differently. The famous Astrakhan varieties grow at least 8-10 kg, but the popular "light" gains a mass of about 2 kg. Although there are champions in each variety.

By sound

This is a popular technique used by most buyers. According to popular belief, a ripe watermelon will ring if you pat it with your palm. Actually, the sound is determined by the state of the pulp. And it is just the unripe fruit that rings, but the ripe one will emit a dull sound when patted.

Of course, nitrates cannot be considered the only reason for the strange taste or unusual appearance of watermelons. A sharp change in temperature, periods of drought or rain, soil composition - all these factors affect the quality of the fruit.

Knowing the popular love for watermelons, every year there are people who are sure to try to make money on this, using dishonest or completely illegal methods. Most of these techniques are aimed at obtaining the earliest and most plentiful harvest. As a result, traders and agricultural producers benefit twice as:

manage to sell watermelons when the bulk of the crop is still ripening in the beds;
receiving additional profit for artificially gaining weight of the fruit.

The only one who loses is an unfortunate consumer who succumbed to temptation and bought a completely useless, far from always tasty, and sometimes very dangerous watermelon. Indeed, in pursuit of profit, unscrupulous melon growers, and then merchants, have to violate agricultural practices, flood the plantings with chemicals, use seeds of dubious quality, and also, not observing the terms and conditions of storage of fruits, offer deliberately spoiled watermelons.

The problem is complicated by the fact that when buying a whole fruit, people cut it only by serving it, and only here they can see:

rough yellow and white streaks in the watermelon;
undeveloped areas of the pulp and cracks dividing it into several parts;
sluggish, loose flesh inside the watermelon;
uneven color;
signs of fermentation.

And sometimes sugar red, instead of being sweet, is desperately bitter. Why is this happening? What to do with such a watermelon and what do the white and yellow streaks in the pulp mean?

Where are the white and yellow streaks in the watermelon from?

The main and most common cause of watermelon poisoning is the use of excessive nitrogen fertilizers in the cultivation.

Under normal conditions, it is an indispensable element for the growth and development of plants, however, using it in excess of the permissible norms, melon growers can get a fruit weighing up to 10 kg in 2-3 weeks. After abundant watering and feeding with a solution of saltpeter, watermelons swell like yeast, and instead of the prescribed 70–90 days of staying on a melon under the sun, they are harvested almost a month earlier. The producer receives an early harvest of huge fruits, but each of them has already managed to accumulate a hefty portion of nitrates, toxic to humans.

One of the signs of "poisoning" of melons with saltpeter are white and yellow streaks in the watermelon that pierce the flesh. They are formed due to the action of a chemical that makes not only the whips develop faster, but also the fetus. At first, these peculiar vessels are white and supply the still unripe watermelon with food, but under the influence of nitrates, the fruit grows rapidly and just as quickly ages. Therefore, the white veins in the watermelon soon coarsen and acquire a yellow or brownish tint.

High doses of nitrates and nitrites synthesized from them in the body can accumulate and enhance the negative effect. Exposure to nitrogen compounds affects the digestive system, disrupts metabolic processes and has a depressing effect on the nervous system. As a result of the ingestion of nitrites, the supply of oxygen to the tissues deteriorates, the immune system is destroyed.

If an adult tolerates a dose of 150-200 mg relatively painlessly, then 600 mg of nitrates cause irreparable damage. But nitrogenous compounds cause the greatest damage to young children, for whom a dose of 10 mg or more is toxic.

Why does a watermelon have loose flesh inside?

Interestingly, the nitrate-induced process continues after such a "chemical" crop has been harvested. True, the watermelon no longer grows, but the tissues inside it change. Even torn off green, it soon turns red, and the white vessels gradually turn yellow. And a couple of weeks after harvesting, the flesh inside the watermelon is loose, crumbly and slightly juicy.

When cutting a fruit pumped with nitrates, which has lain a little on the counter, in addition to yellow veins in the watermelon, areas of yellow compacted pulp are often found, reaching from 2 to 50 mm in diameter. The use of such a watermelon in healthy people can cause the most unpleasant consequences, and more precisely it will not bring pleasure. Use is the most common reason for the poor quality of melons, but in reality you can face some more unpleasant moments.

Asking the question: "Why is the watermelon inside loose and not tasty at all?", The buyer may come across a fruit that has been stored incorrectly for a long time. A couple of weeks in the scorching sun is enough for a watermelon torn from the whip to begin to lose moisture, and its pulp takes on the appearance of dry reddish or whitish grains. Typically, this process starts from the location of the seeds and then spreads to the core.

Why is watermelon bitter?

If the coarse fibers in the pulp, changes in its color and structure, indicating the poor quality of the watermelon, are easy to see as soon as it is cut, then the bitter fruit will definitely have to be tasted at least once.

Why is the watermelon famous for its sweetness bitter? There are several possible answers here. Most often, buyers have to deal with already lying fruits, which, due to natural reasons or due to the effect of nitrates, have lost their original taste properties.

Thanks to the saltpeter in the ovary, it develops rapidly, reaching a weight of 10–20 kg. Then, unscrupulous melon growers leave the watermelons to rest for a few more days, during which the fruits turn red, but, alas, do not gain the proper sweetness. As a result, the accumulated 5–6% of fructose and glucose are converted into sucrose, and soon the pulp begins to sour, changing the taste to bitter and sour.

In addition, if an unripe fruit pumped with nitrates is bought, it is possible that cucurbitacin, the substance responsible for the bitterness of cucumbers and momordica, is to blame for its unpleasant taste. V ripe watermelons it contains an insignificant amount, but in greens, which causes stomach pain and indigestion of the natural toxin, much more. This explains why the watermelon tastes bitter in the summer.

If you wanted to enjoy a sweet slice in winter, then ethylene gas can be the culprit for the unpleasant taste, which is used to process fruits grown somewhere in Thailand or Turkey for better storage.

In any case, if a watermelon, loose inside, with coarse fibers or having a specific taste, you should refuse to eat it.

Video on choosing early watermelons

Sweet, ripe and nitrate-free? There are many tricks and techniques to distinguish healthy berry with juicy ripe pulp.

The second half of summer is a real holiday for watermelon lovers. You can enjoy your favorite berry at least every day: eat the pulp cut into slices, prepare cocktails and various desserts. But the fruit brought home from the market or store is far from always tasty and healthy: the pulp can be unripe or unsweetened, and the concentration of nitrates exceeding the norm can cause a violation of the blood composition and cause severe poisoning.

There are several rules, adhering to which you can choose a watermelon that is not only ripe and sweet, but also free of nitrogen fertilizers harmful to the body.

With the beginning of the season, watermelons can be found in supermarkets, markets, in tents located right in the open air. Taste and beneficial features berries largely depend on storage conditions, so before you go for watermelon, it is important to choose the right place of purchase.

Sanitary conditions in shops and specially equipped storage facilities are much better than in spontaneous markets and in tents. Experts strongly advise against purchasing watermelons from sellers who offer to choose fruits from heaps dumped on the side of the tracks directly on the ground. Despite the thick peel, the berries are able to absorb many harmful substances deposited from the exhaust gases, and various pathogens can enter through small cracks.

If you do decide to choose a watermelon in an outdoor tent, pay attention to the following:

from above, the fruits should be covered with a hinged awning;
all watermelons must be on a special flooring with a height of at least 20 cm;
the best option is to have side walls in the tent to protect the berries from dust and dirt.

Before choosing a watermelon in the market, in a store or other point of sale, the buyer has the right to require certificates confirming the quality of the goods. The document indicates the time and place of collection, the presence of nitrates and other data that will make it possible to determine the choice. In the absence of documentation, you should not risk your health, even if the price is lower than that of other sellers.

At a certain temperature and humidity, watermelons can be stored for a long time, however, such conditions cannot be provided at street points of sale. This means that the average shelf life is no more than 2-3 weeks. After that, the berries begin to turn sour and lose their taste. If it is not possible to set the harvest time, you can check this by ripping off a small piece of the skin with your fingernail: fresh watermelons can smell only mowed grass, and a small amount of moisture will appear on the surface.

Some manufacturers and sellers, in order to preserve the crop longer, treat it with a mixture of chalk or a solution of alabaster and paraffin. At the same time, the storage duration increases by 1.5-2 times, but the quality of the berries is significantly reduced: frequent consumption of the pulp of such watermelons can result in the formation of sand in the kidneys.

The most useful are watermelons grown outdoors. Since this melon culture is thermophilic, the first ripe fruits do not appear until the second half of summer. Initially, berries brought from Central Asian countries go on sale, a little later - from the southern regions of the country. The optimal time to buy your favorite delicacy starts from the second decade of August and lasts until the last days of September. During this period, the highest chances of choosing a watermelon are not only tasty, but also nitrate-free.

In appearance

Experienced lovers of sweet fruits primarily pay attention to the color and other external characteristics of the rind. Knowing some of the tricks will allow you to establish the ripeness of the pulp, even without a preliminary test. What should you pay attention to and how to choose the right watermelon in appearance?

Many people are interested in the question: is it possible to determine the presence of nitrates in the pulp by appearance? Unfortunately, it is impossible to establish the content of an increased amount of harmful substances without cutting the fruit, unless only with the help of a special device.

Knowing the signs of excess nitrate levels will help prevent poisoning. Before eating a cut watermelon, inspect it carefully:

a good watermelon has pulp, on the cut of which sugar grains are clearly visible;
the presence of voids in the central part of the fetus may indicate a dangerous concentration of nitrates;
ripe watermelon has black seeds, a combination of unripe seeds and ripe red pulp is a bad sign.

By sound

When the watermelon ripens, the pulp changes its density - it becomes more porous. This feature makes it possible to determine ripeness by the sound that the berry makes when tapped. To do this, you need to knock on the crust with your knuckle. The louder the sound, the more ripe the berry. You can check several watermelons in this way and compare the result.

How else can you choose a watermelon by sound? There is another method for determining ripeness, which is more suitable for men. The fruit is clamped between two palms facing each other. They should be placed in the middle between the tail and the bottom. When squeezing the palms of a ripe fruit, the peel will emit a characteristic quiet crackle. This method requires a certain amount of physical strength, but its reliability is quite high.

The main taste characteristic by which the quality of the crop is assessed is the amount of sugar in the pulp. At the same time, the sweetness of the berry is not always directly related to its ripeness: it happens that the fruit, red with ripe seeds, may not be at all sweet.

What influences the taste of watermelon and what are the optimal sugar levels? With the mass cultivation of melons and gourds, the suitability of fruits for consumption is determined when the sugar concentration reaches 10% or more. To determine this indicator, a special device is used - a refractometer. Several fruits are selected on the melon in different places, cut and the level of sugar content of the pulp in the central part of the fruit is measured.

However, not all manufacturers offer a product with the recommended specifications. What is the reason for the decrease in taste? There are several factors affecting the taste of the pulp.

First of all, the choice of the variety is important. Despite the large number of various types of melons and gourds, breeding work does not stop, due to which new improved hybrids appear. As a result of crossing, not all characteristics can be improved, and often an increase in disease resistance or an increase in yield affects the taste characteristics. When choosing a variety, the growing conditions, as well as the structure and composition of the soil, should be taken into account.

Even properly selected seeds may not give the desired yield if the cultivation technology is not followed or if the weather conditions are unfavorable. For a normal sugar content, the following conditions are necessary:

Adequate lighting. The more sunny days during the period of plant growth and fruit formation, the sweeter the harvest will be.
The presence of moisture. Sufficient soil moisture ensures good germination of crops and normal growth of melons. But during the ripening of the crop, excess moisture can adversely affect their taste: if after dry days it rains heavily, the plants can continue their growth and pull some of the substances accumulated in the fruits back into the leaves and stems.
Nutrition. Watermelon is highly sensitive to the presence of mineral fertilizers in the soil. When planting plants on poor soils, regular feeding of plants is necessary, which makes it possible to get a richer harvest and increase the sugar concentration by as much as 2-3%. Some unscrupulous growers seek to increase yields by using an overabundance of nitrogen in the soil. It is capable of causing intensive cell growth, in which their number remains the same, and their size exceeds the norm by several times. The increase in volume in this case occurs due to the accumulation of water and deterioration of taste. With an increased amount of nitrogen, the pulp can acquire a specific bitter taste.

Another reason for the mismatch of the expected taste is late harvest. Watermelon, unlike the vast majority of fruits, is not able to ripen after harvest. The taste characteristics are also influenced by the transportation and storage conditions.

So how do you choose a sweet-fleshed watermelon? Unfortunately, there are no external signs of determining the taste of the pulp. You can find out how tasty and sweet the fruit is only after taking a sample.

Many people prefer to choose the largest berries, mistakenly believing that they are the most ripe. In fact, too large a size can be a sign of artificially enlarging the fruit by applying a lot of nitrogen fertilizers.

The optimal weight depends on the variety: for most of the most popular varieties in the middle lane, this indicator is at the level of 5-6 kg, for large varieties and hybrids ("", "", "Palladin", "") the weight of fruits can reach 10-12 kg. When choosing from one batch, it is better to buy not the largest or the smallest watermelon, but give preference to medium-sized specimens.

Currently, the opinion that a light skin tone is a sign of insufficient maturity is not true. This is due to the achievements of modern breeding, thanks to which a large number of the most diverse species have recently appeared with a shade of peel from light green to dark green, approaching black.

Experts advise to pay attention not to how dark or light shade the watermelon has, but to the contrast between the stripes on the peel. The more pronounced the difference between adjacent stripes, the tastier the pulp.

Before choosing a watermelon, it is recommended to inspect the stem. Should the tail of the watermelon be completely dry, or is this not an indicator of ripeness at all? Ripe berry stops consuming moisture and gradually the stalk dries up at the point of attachment to the stem. A dry tail is one of the signs of ripening, but only when it is brittle and breaks easily.

If the stalk is simply sluggish, it can be said with great confidence that the crop was harvested ahead of time, and the stalk dried out during transportation. A clear sign of unripe fruit is properly cut ends of the tails.

Another well-known selection method is to assess the surface condition of the peel. It is believed that after maturation watermelon peel starts to shine. How true is this and should the surface ripe fruit to be smooth and shiny?

When ripe, the hardness of the peel increases, and its top layer acquires a pronounced waxy luster. In the period most suitable for eating watermelon, this shine is preserved, but when overripe, the skin becomes dull again.

However, this trait is not true for all varieties: many recently bred hybrids have a wax-like bloom from the very beginning of the formation of the fruit. It is also worth choosing a berry taking into account the tricks of the sellers, who specially rub the surface of the crust to a shine.

At the point of contact with the ground, a so-called "cheek" is formed - a light speck, which can have a shade from white to orange. The presence of such a speck is the norm if its diameter, depending on the total weight, does not exceed 5-10 cm. Light areas of a much larger size indicate a low quality of the crop.

By the color of the "cheeks" you can determine the degree of ripeness. In unripe berries, it is white with visible stripes, but a clean, completely yellow or orange spot on the watermelon indicates that it is already ready to eat.

Sometimes, when cutting the fruit, it is found that the pulp has an uneven structure and is penetrated with dense light veins. What do these white threads inside the watermelon mean? The appearance of compaction is the plant's response to stress caused by an abrupt change in growing conditions. Basically, such threads appear with sudden changes in temperature.

If there are streaks in the pulp, before eating it, you should pay attention to the color of the threads: a yellowish tint is one of the signs of a high nitrate content.

Often, buyers try to choose a watermelon according to the shape and size of the lower part, which remains in place of the fallen flower. It is believed that girls have a wider "mole" and are distinguished by sweetness, but the taste of a boy with a small convex bottom is much worse. How true are these signs of the sweetness of watermelon?

The size of the lower part depends solely on the size of the flower and has nothing to do with the "sexual" division of fruits. Good watermelon does not have to have a wide and flat bottom. At the same time, the size of the "mole" can tell about the number of seeds inside: the so-called "boys" have few of them and they are small, but the flesh of the "girls" contains many large seeds.

Is it possible to eat early watermelons

The first watermelons on the shelves of shops and markets can be found in July. Among amateurs sweet berries there is an opinion that early watermelons contain an increased amount of ammonia fertilizers. How true is this and is it possible to eat the first harvest?

It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally. The ultra-early varieties developed by breeders are capable of yielding much earlier than mid-season representatives of the crop. The technology of growing plants in greenhouses opened up additional opportunities. It is possible that the earliest fruits were grown in compliance with the requirements for feeding and do not pose a threat to health. The presence of nitrates can be determined from the quality certificate or using a manual nitrate meter.

Knowing the secrets and tricks listed above will help you choose a watermelon that will delight you with a refreshing sweet, juicy and healthy pulp.