Biting into a watermelon and finding that it is very wet can be pretty disappointing. Everyone expects these fruits to be juicy, but if it has minimal flavor and mostly just tastes of water, you might be wondering if this means you shouldn’t eat it.
Watermelons often turn watery if they have been overwatered while growing. Like many other fruits, watermelons absorb water and it is transported through the stem and into the fruit. If the plant sucks up too much water, it often ends up with watery and unappetizing flesh. However, you can usually still eat it, despite its poor flavor.
In this article, we’re going to find out more about why watermelons are sometimes watery, and whether you can safely eat a watery watermelon.
Why Are Some Watermelons So Watery?
On the whole, watermelons tend to be watery when they have suffered from irregular watering while growing. As the name suggests, watermelons are known for having a high water content anyway, but the plants do not regulate their water intake well. That means that if:
- The grower over-waters them
- There is a period of drought, followed by heavy rain
- The watering is irregular
If you are growing your own watermelons, this issue is something that you should be aware of. The more regular you can make your watering process, the better your fruit is likely to taste. If you over-water it, the fruit will suck too much water up through its roots and put this into the fruit, diluting the sugars and spoiling the texture.
Some people say that watery watermelons are male, while sweet, juicy ones are female, but this is not true. There is no such thing as a male vs a female watermelon. These fruits come from female flowers and are not either male or female.
In some cases, a really watery watermelon will split, with its rind cracking open. This is because the inside of the fruit swells more than the rind can handle, resulting in the rind opening up, and leaving a gash on the side. This will quickly lead to rotting and needs to be avoided. If you are growing watermelons at home, implement a watering schedule.
Can You Eat A Watery Watermelon?
Yes, a watery watermelon is perfectly safe to eat in most cases. This simply indicates that the fruit has absorbed too much liquid while growing, and doesn’t tell you much about how fresh it is. Indeed, many watermelons get drier as they age, so a wet one may be particularly fresh and ripe.
It is always a good idea to check for signs of spoilage, however, even when a fruit looks perfectly fresh. You should make sure that your watermelon smells and tastes sweet and fruity. It shouldn’t have a sour, musty, acidic, or alcoholic taste or smell. This would indicate that the sugars in the fruit had started fermenting, making it unsafe to eat.
You should also check for any visible spots of mold on the flesh or the rind. If the rind has been broken or damaged anywhere, there is a risk that mold spores will get into the fruit and start attacking the soft flesh inside. This would make the fruit unsafe to eat, so make sure you look out for this.
On the whole, watery melons should not be unsafe to eat, but it is always worth checking. If you see signs that the melon has spoiled, compost it instead of eating it.
How Do You Know If A Watermelon Is Going To Be Sweet?
Watery watermelons tend not to be very sweet, so they are best avoided. The sugars get diluted by the excessive moisture in the fruit, giving it a mild and disappointing flavor. Fortunately, there is a pretty easy test for this; when selecting a watermelon in the store, you should tap on the rind and listen to the noise that it makes.
You should hear a hollow knocking sound as the tap vibrates around inside the watermelon. If it produces a full, solid sound instead, this indicates that the watermelon is very full of water and there are few spaces inside. The hollow sound is the one that you want, so only select watermelons that sound like they are empty inside.
You can also check the shape of the watermelon, as this is a secondary indicator of sweetness. On the whole, oval watermelons are wetter, while rounded ones are sweeter and richer. Choose a nice, spherical watermelon, and avoid the oval ones, and you should find that the fruit is not too watery.
Conclusion
Watery watermelons are not necessarily bad, but they are often less enjoyable. You should generally look for watermelons that are round and produce a hollow sound when you tap on them. These will be sweet and juicy, rather than watery and bland.
