How to select honeydew melons at the peak of ripeness

Fresh fruits have the finest flavor and texture when at the peak of ripeness. Here is how to pick the perfect honeydew melon.

A sweet and tender honeydew is a perfect compliment to breakfast and a colorful addition to any fruit salad. There are many schools of thought on how to pick a ripe melon, but merely choosing by rind color or shape does not account for the many varieties of this fruit and may not guarantee success.

Things You'll Need

• Supermarket or fruit stand

Instructions

1. To ensure that you pick the right melon choose one that has no soft spots.

2. Hold it at both ends and give it a couple of shakes from side to side (not stem to stem.) If you can hear the shaking of the seeds inside it is ready for you to take it home.

Tips & Warnings

• If it is early in the season, you may need to compare several melons to pick the ripest one of the bunch. If the seed shaking isn't quite 'loose enough', let your melon sit on a kitchen towel (to keep it from bruising) on the counter for a day or two.

• It is possible that the farm that grew the fruit harvested it too early for the fruit to develop correctly so never choose a melon that has no seed shake at all thinking that it will ripen for you.