If Your South Dakota Watermelon Is Doing This, Beware!

A hot summer day and a slice of icy cold watermelon is a marriage made in heaven. But when your watermelon blows up in your face, it can definitely put a damper on your picnic proceedings!

What is the strange phenomenon that can lead to this weird occurrence?

Fermentation. And not the good kind. Plus, our long hot summer has added to the problems too. Watermelons that have been infected with bacteria during the growth or delivery process can quickly begin to foam and ferment in excess heat and before you know it-  you have a fruity bomb in your kitchen.

So first of all, if you see a watermelon that appears to be foaming at the mouth, do not bring it home, unless of course you're into weird science experiments and then definitely take it outdoors immediately.

Watermelons with cracks are another big no-no, unless again, you're into strange fruit experimentation.

Also, watermelon splitting or exploding can also be traced, believe it or not, to a specific gene in many heirloom varieties of watermelon according to How Stuff Works. So if you're an aficionado of heirloom watermelons, that's another thing to worry about.

In general, when shopping for the perfect watermelon, look for one with a strong stripe pattern and the rind should be kind of dull. If it's too shiny the fruit could be underripe.

It should also be heavy for its size and have a creamy yellow spot which again means it is ripe. A white spot means it hasn't been on the vine long enough. And go for the rounder watermelons, they tend to be sweeter than the oblong ones.

Should you knock on your watermelon? Of course! A low-pitched sound means your melon should be full of juice and ready to go, but a high-pitched sound means the rind is still too thick and not ripened yet.

For more weird and wonderful watermelon wisdom, check out How Stuff Works and Real Simple.

Sources: How Stuff Works and Real Simple