The Seedless watermelons are a bit mealy, not as sweet, and rather week.
They do have a better form factor (Round and easy to carry). But it can be difficult to ripeness. Give them a thump---it should have a hollow sound when ripe. More of a base "Thunk..thump, thub" instead of "Thimp...Tank, tink" sound.
The crown on the honeydew indicates it's ripe. That is, it should look like a king's crown right at the tip. It should have lost all of its greenness. Too green and it won't taste right. And thirdly, when you press at the tip it should yield somewhat but still be firm. And fourth, smell it - it should have a good fruity smell when you bring your nose relatively close to it. If the smell is absent, chances are it's a lemon, not a melon!
I look for a few things - heavy for size, good yellow/cream spot, hollow sounding thump, and a stem that is brown and dried. A pretty green stem indicates it was picked a little too young. Stems dry and turn brown as the melon ripens.
You can smell cantaloupe and honeydew melons. All melons should be heavy for their size. Also, the cantaloupes should be yellow with just a little green.
Watermelon are more difficult because of the lack of smell. If you hold it and give it a thwack, it should have a hollow sound. Also, if the spot where it rested on the ground is pale yellow to cream, that is a good sign.
My favorite method is to ask the farmer at the farmer's market to choose for me.
A checker at Trader Joe's told me that if it has a large spot on it that's good; it means it fell off the vine naturally & has been sitting on the ground for a while as a result.
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They do have a better form factor (Round and easy to carry). But it can be difficult to ripeness. Give them a thump---it should have a hollow sound when ripe. More of a base "Thunk..thump, thub" instead of "Thimp...Tank, tink" sound.
Watermelon are more difficult because of the lack of smell. If you hold it and give it a thwack, it should have a hollow sound. Also, if the spot where it rested on the ground is pale yellow to cream, that is a good sign.
My favorite method is to ask the farmer at the farmer's market to choose for me.