How to choose a delicious melon: practical tips

Melon is a fragrant, tasty and very healthy treat that will appeal to both adults and children. However, it can be quite difficult to choose a quality fruit, since an externally attractive specimen is not always able to please with high taste qualities. What to look for first of all when choosing a melon and where it is better to buy it, let's figure it out.

How to choose a good melon

Today there are a large number of varieties of culture, but the most popular melon in our latitudes is Turkmenka and Torpeda, which are perfectly transported, have excellent taste and aroma. When choosing a melon culture, experts advise to be guided by several criteria: appearance, smell, condition of the skin. Did you know? The most expensive variety of melons recognized Yubari King, for copies of which at auctions give about 20 thousand dollars. The fruits of this variety have the greatest juiciness and sweetness. They are grown in only one region of Japan.

Place of purchase and certificate

Before determining a good melon, it is recommended to pay close attention to the place of purchase and the availability of quality certificates for the products. It is better to buy berries in supermarkets or in specialized fruit and vegetable markets, where strict control of the products is carried out by employees of the sanitary and epidemiological service.

You should not buy fruits near roads and especially large highways, since they have the ability to quickly accumulate toxins and harmful substances, which means they will be unsafe for eating.

Despite the place of purchase, in any case, the seller must have a medical certificate, a license to trade and certificates confirming the quality and safety of the products, which he could provide to the buyer upon request.

It is better to refuse to buy goods from dubious distributors who do not have the appropriate documentation. You should also avoid buying berries at stalls with unsanitary conditions or buying melons from the ground.

Read what you can eat melon with.

Ripening period

Depending on the variety, gourds have a different ripening period. In addition, the ripening rate is influenced by many factors: weather, growing region, number of irrigations and fertilizers, soil structure and others.

However, in most cases, its collection is carried out in late August - early September. A fully ripened melon has a number of certain characteristics, according to which it is easy to identify from unripe: aroma, color, taste.

The fact that the berry has not yet ripened is indicated by the following aspects:

• the presence on the surface of spots with uneven color;
• skin hardness. Ripe melon has a soft skin. When pressed on it, characteristic dents can remain, which quickly recover. If the dent remains, then the berry is overripe;
• pronounced, well-visualized longitudinal veins, which are considered a sign of a high nitrate content in the fetus.

You can check the ripeness of the berry by a simple method: gently pry the skin with a fingernail - if it does not separate well, the berry is not ripe.

Also read what to do with an unripe melon.

Appearance

When choosing a berry, you should clearly know what a quality melon should look like. First of all, you need to pay attention to the color of the peel.

Ripe fruit of different varieties may have the following colors:

• bright yellow, yellow or light yellow;
• Orange;
• with small green stripes.

But regardless of the varieties, the peel should have a uniform color and approximately the same thickness. Also, there should be no traces of mechanical damage, rotted areas, spots of uncertain origin, scratches, uncharacteristic cracks. Melon should be soft inside, but not fall apart and keep in shape. Important! Any mechanical damage to the peel can lead to penetration into the pulp and further reproduction of pathogenic organisms, infections, and bacteria.

The surface of the fetus can be smooth or rough depending on the variety, but it is imperative to exclude the presence of any parasites. It is recommended to carefully inspect the “tail” - in quality specimens, it should be dry to the ground. And the “nose” of the fetus, that is, the trace of the flower, should, on the contrary, be slightly soft.

You can distinguish ripe berries from unripe ones by aroma. The first almost always has a fresh and sweet (honey) smell, the second has a slight shade of dampness or a grassy smell. It should be noted that the absence of any aroma in a mature melon may be a sign that chemicals and harmful substances that activate the growth of fruits were used in its cultivation. Experts advise to stop buying odorless berries. Did you know? There is a variety of melons Cucumis microcarpus, the flesh of which tastes like strawberries. Berries are grown in Central Asia and are used for the preparation of preservation.

Sound

Like a watermelon, you can choose a good melon by the sound that makes the fruit during a light slap on its surface. The ripened berry makes a booming, dull sound when patted. Watery sounds indicate that the gourds are overripe.

Taste

Determining the ripeness of the melon will help its tasting. The fruit should have a characteristic sweet, honey flavor in some varieties and a sufficiently soft, juicy pulp of a light color. You should also pay attention to the seeds - they should be large in size and easily move away from the pulp.

The benefits and harms of melon

• Melon is not only a fragrant and tasty berry, thanks to its rich chemical composition, it has a number of useful qualities that have a beneficial effect on human health:
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• It has a sedative effect, calms the nervous system, relieves nervousness, normalizes sleep;
• due to the high iron content improves blood composition, prevents the development of anemia, enriches blood cells with oxygen;
• cleanses the body, removes toxins and harmful substances;
• reduces the level of "bad" cholesterol;
• improves the digestive tract, has a mild laxative effect;
• normalizes the functioning of the kidneys and liver;
• due to the presence of silicon, it can improve brain activity, has a positive effect on the cerebral cortex;
• thanks to the content of ascorbic acid, it strengthens the immune system, increases the protective functions of the body, helps fight viruses and infections;
• has a diuretic and choleretic effect;
• due to vitamins A and E in the composition it rejuvenates the skin, promotes rapid cell regeneration, improves the condition of the skin and hair;
• normalizes the work of the cardiovascular system.

Important! This fruit must be consumed separately from all products.

• Consumption of the fetus has a number of contraindications:
• diabetes;
• diseases of the stomach and intestines in the acute stage;
• lactation in women;
• individual intolerance.

You should refuse to use the product on an empty stomach. Melon as a traditional summer delicacy is appreciated for its wonderful taste, sweet aroma and a high content of useful components in its composition. There are many varieties of “sun fruit”, and sometimes choosing which melon is tastier is quite difficult. Nevertheless, you can quickly and easily find a quality berry if you just carefully examine its appearance and study the aroma.