Knocking on a watermelon

Hi Assaf

I think only us, Israelis , are knocking on watermelons :-))

The sound should be hollow, however bright sound. Simple as that.

If you can't make up your mind, try to pick one which is heavy for its size.

 Elinoar

www.cuisinemiddleast.com

Another way to tell if a watermelon is ripe is by it's color. You have to check it for a bright stain kind of a yellowish color  usually near  the side. This stain means that the watermelon is ripe and  that it wasn't  picked before time . When the watermelon is ripe  it  detaches from the stem and consumes  it's water from the fruit itself this causes a yellow stain on the watermelon itself.

We knock on watermelons here in the US too and as lior stated "The sound should be hollow, however bright"

Choose a firm, symmetrical watermelon that is free of bruises, cuts and dents. Choosing a ripe watermelon is very important, since melons won’t continue to ripen much after they’ve been picked. Before buying, lift the melon. If it’s ripe, it should feel heavy for its size. Next, turn it over. On the underbelly you should see a creamy yellow splotch. If the splotch is white or green, the watermelon was harvested too soon. Along with a creamy underneath, a ripe watermelon sounds hollow when tapped with your knuckles. You can learn to distinguish the sound. Tap several melons at the market and pay attention to which ones sound hollow. If you find a melon that thuds dully, compare that sound to the others and find one that does not.

http://www.gfb.org/cfmarkets/buyers.htm

I agree with most of the posts, and I can say that in the US we also knock on watermelons. :) I find that the best watermelons are a combination of that hollow sound when "flicked" and an overall good color without any blemishes are scars.

There's a whole article on Selecting Fruits and Vegetables at Recipe4Living that's mighty handy. Here's the watermelon exerpt:

Watermelon
Selecting: Should yield to slight pressure at the stem end. Sweet scent. Skin may be solid green, green-striped or mottled with white.  Avoid melons that are very soft.
Storing: Store at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Refrigerate after cutting. Remove seeds and skins.
Using: Best at room temperature. Be cautious of the many seeds. Good for breakfast, salads, salsas, smoothies, and sorbets.
Season: summer