The watermelons that I sampled at last week’s wednesday FM in Santa Monica were pretty darned good.
I can never vouch for the quality of watermelons at the supermarkets unless they’re sliced. If the color of the pulp is on the deeper side, if the pulp looks solid, if the piece feels heavy for its size and if white veining is running through the pulp, it should be sweet and tasty.
Seeds are definitely a plus. They can also indicate ripeness. If the seeds are black and intact, it’s probably ripe. If you see the seeds beginning to sprout - you’ll see a little white tip starting to form at the tip of the seed, it is overripe.
I bought a yellow one from the Irvine Farmers Market last week. It was pretty sweet but tasted different from a red watermelon. Is the yellow watermelon a hybrid with another type of melon?
I think you’re right. I was too anxious and have to wait til July/August to get watermelons. The ones I’ve picked in the last 2 weeks have been the best. The Sat FM in Irvine has had very good melons lately.
I usually buy a couple watermelons per grocery trip. The idea is if one is not that good, big deal, I’ve got another, and if I have two good ones, score! I can’t recall picking up two blah ones. On a positive note, I feel better armed to find the best watermelons after reading this thread and reading about the sugar veins.
I know this is an older thread/query…but YOU HAVE TO TRY THE SEEDLESS YELLOW WATERMELONS from Underwood Family Farms (Ventura). Sorry for shouting, but every summer now for the past few years, I will stop everything to make it to the Larchmont Farmer’s Market on Sundays (10-2), ask a guy who works there to pick a watermelon for me, and I am as happy as can be.
Like you, OP, I have suffered the cruelty of terrible, bland, tasteless watermelons from big grocery stores (Vons, Pavilions, Whole Foods). Even from those expensive chains they can be awful. The injustice isn’t so much that you’ve thrown away $4-6, it’s that they’re so damn heavy, and your anticipation for something juicy and flavorful disappears with that first cut/taste!
Here is a link to the farm’s website, they sell at a ton of SoCal Farmer’s Markets https://underwoodfamilyfarms.com/
They’ll have them late July through August (MAYBE September?), so I say - waste no more time on disappointing watermelons, buy local produce and enjoy other goodies from whichever farmer’s market you decide to go to. These are the best watermelons I have ever had in my life.
