Watermelon Woes

How do you pick a good watermelon? I read somewhere that there should be a yellow area somewhere on the watermelon and that would make for a juicy, sweet watermelon. Not true. I purchased a watermelon at Heines Market and it was pinkish in color, tasteless and not good at all.
I returned the melon to the market and I told the sales clerk how horrible the watermelon tasted and asked, "How does one pick a ripe watermelon?" He called a young female worker over and said, "This lady would like for you to pick a good watermelon for her." She went to the bin and lifted one large melon and shook it, rolled it around in her hands and said, "This is a good one. I will cut it for you and you decide whether you like it or not."

The two halves were a deep red and looked good so I took them in place of the bad one. I asked her, "How do you know which are good?" Her answer was, "Practice and it should sound right when you shake it." She was busy so I did not get any more information from her. I got home I cut into the melon and it was delicious. I wondered if when a watermelon is shaken should I hear water sloshing, seeds rattling, or nothing at all.

Now that I had two large halves, I decided to make a Watermelon Salad that I had seen on the Internet. Olives, red onion, lime, olive oil, mint, watermelon and feta cheese. It sounded easy enough and after I prepared the salad I took it to a movie night with friends so they could give me a thumbs up or down.  They liked it and commented that it is a tasty salad and refreshing on a hot summer day. The movie,Young Victoria, was good also!

Recipe from the Internet:

3/4 c. thinly sliced onion

1 T fresh lime juice

1 1/2 qts cubed watermelon

1/2 c black olives

1 c fresh mint

2T olive oil

3/4 c Feta cheese

Place onion in juice for about 15 min.

Place watermelon, feta cheese, olives, onions with juice, and mint in bowl.

Drizzle olive oil and toss to blend.

Bon Appetit!