GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - Do Picked Watermelons Coontinue to Ripen?

19-06-2006, 11:54 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible

(---Pete---) wrote:

Hi all,
I'm wondering, if I pick my own or buy a watermelon, does it
continue to ripen?

Somtimes I buy a watermelon and it's not ripe enough so
I'm wondering if there is any benefit to just leaving it
for a week before cutting it open.

---pete---

Never noticed it. Look for a big whitish yellow patch on the bottom.
IMO, the uglier and scabbier that patch, the more chance it tastes
good. I can't tell ripeness by smell the way I can with cantaloupe,
but some folks say that the less a watermelon shines the more ripe it
is.

If they aren't too unripe, use the unripe ones for watermelon sweet
pickles or relish.