These key tips from an experienced farmer will help you pick the perfect watermelon, every time.

When viewing watermelons, the first thing that sticks out are those weird white spots. However, these spots (called field spots)are quite natural. The field spot is the area where the watermelon rested on the ground. While every watermelon has a field spot, the best watermelons have creamy-yellow or even orange-yellow spots. Go for the gold.

The webbing of a watermelon indicates the amount of times that bees touched the flower. The more pollination, the sweeter the watermelon is.

You maynot havet known this, but watermelons have genders. The ‘boy’ watermelons, are taller and more elongated, while the “girl” watermelons are more round and stout. The boy watermelons are more watery, while the girl watermelons are sweeter.

Our common sense tells us that bigger is better. So we may think that we should get our money’s worth and get the biggest watermelon we can haul onto our carts, but in reality, the best watermelons are average-sized. Don’t go for too small or too big, but just right. Size matters.

The tail of a watermelon indicates its ripeness. A green tail indicates that it was picked too soon and will not taste as good. Go for the watermelons that have dried tails for the best taste. You can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can judge a watermelon by its shell.

With summer finally here, eating a delicious watermelon is a great way to cool off. Just thinking about it right now makes my mouth water! But, the traditional way of cutting watermelon makes a huge mess – the rinds and juices get all over the counter. To make matters worse, the bigger slicers are also messy to eat. Luckily, this man shows a genius way of cutting the watermelon into sticks. This makes watermelon so much more enjoyable!

Don’t fall for the leaf test – follow these brilliant tips to pick the perfect pineapple, every time.

Although color doesn’t tell the full story when it comes to pineapple freshness, it’s at least a good place to start. To begin, you want to pick out a pineapple that isn’t completely green. Typically speaking, a pineapple which is too green on the outside is not quite ripe enough. Still, having a bright yellow pineapple isn’t the only thing to consider. Although a good yellow pineapple is a good place to start, you’re not done looking your fruit over yet!

The old trick says that you should be able to pluck one of the middle leaves out of a ripe pineapple when it’s ready to eat. Still, this tip is a little bit misleading. On the one hand, if you can’t pull a leaf out at all, the fruit probably isn’t ready to eat. On the other, if you could pull leaves out very easily, it probably means the pineapple is actually over-ripe and is starting to get mushy. What is true is that the leaves will be easier to pull out as the pineapple flesh gets riper, so somewhere in the middle is just right.

As you handle a pineapple, you want to make sure it has a little bit of give in it before you cut it open to eat it. After all, a pineapple that is too hard on the outside is going to be too firm and probably not very sweet. You want the fruit to feel pretty plump and to make sure the skin isn’t too wrinkled or squishy. Make sure it looks and feels healthy and that there are no big soft spots.

Of all the tips on how to check if a pineapple is good to eat, smelling it is probably the best way. To do this, flip the pineapple over and give it a smell. When the pineapple is ripe, it will have a pleasantly sweet and fresh smell to it. If you can’t smell much of an aroma coming off of it, it’s probably not ripe enough to actually be sweet and aromatic. On the other hand, if you get an overpoweringly sweet smell from it then it may be too late.

Picking the perfect cantaloupe isn’t as simple as you would think – follow these life hacks to make sure you get the best cantaloupe in the bunch.

Sometimes you’ll pick out a juicy melon only to get it home and have it covered in bruises and marks. To prevent this, pick up the cantaloupe and check the outside for soft spots, indentations, cracks, bruises and and moldy patches. Once you’re all clear, you can move on to the next step.

Although the inside of a perfect cantaloupe is colored a gentle orange or a salmon-y color, the outside of the perfect cantaloupe is quite different. If you’re looking to eat it right away, try to avoid any tones of green in the rind—that’s a sign that the fruit is not yet ripe. Instead, you’re looking for a rind that is a soft beige, with maybe a very faded green undertone.

Comparing the cantaloupe to a few others can also be helpful to make sure you’re picking a good one. The general rule of thumb is: the heavier, the better.

To make sure the pulp is the right consistency to eat, give the bottom end of it a gentle press in with your thumb to test its strength. Ideally, the fruit will give just a little—though not too much. Too much is a melon that’s already starting to fall apart on the inside which doesn’t make for a good fruit salad.

You can also give the melon a light rapping on the rind with the palm of your hand. Listen to the sound. If it gives off a hollow sound, you’re in good shape—any strange sounds likely mean that there’s something wrong with the inside.

Put the cantaloupe right up to your nose and consider its scent. If it’s ripe, it should give off a gentle, sweet smell. If you pick up one of these fruits and are overwhelmed by the scent coming off of it, that’s a good sign that the melon is past its prime and is now overripe.

Strawberries spoil very quickly, so a farmer shared the brilliant tip he uses to ensure that they are fresh.

Thankfully Hip2Save has shared a brilliant way to make sure that your strawberries stay fresh and last longer in your refrigerator. This hack will extend the life of your strawberries for days, or maybe even a week or two after you take them home and put them in your fridge.

Before you get started, you should prepare white vinegar, water, and either a colander or a salad spinner. With these items (that you probably already have at home!), you’ll be able to preserve your strawberries for much longer!

Pour 1 part white vinegar and 5 parts water into a large bowl. About 1/2 cup of vinegar and 2 1/2 cups of water should do the trick.

Soak your berries in the mixtures for a few minutes. The vinegar will get rid of mold spores and bacteria. That’s the stuff that makes your strawberries spoil quicker. You’ll probably be grossed out by what the water looks like after your rinse your berries in this solution.

Dry your strawberries thoroughly. You can place some paper towels into a salad spinner or let them air dry in a colander. Making sure you remove all of the moisture will prevent them from getting moldy.

Place your strawberries back in the same container they came in (the green thing to do!). But make sure that they are completely dry – then, store the strawberries in your refrigerator. The strawberries will not taste like vinegar if they are completely dry.

The Kitchn says you should keep the stems of your strawberries on until you’re about to eat them. this will prolong their shelf life.

Also, if you notice any spoiled berries in your bunch that has mold on them, be sure to immediately remove them. This will prevent the mold from spreading and ruining the rest of them. Enjoy your delicious tasting, longer lasting strawberries!

Many people don’t have problems choosing apples. However, there are some simple tips you can follow to assure you get the best apples every time you go shopping.

It’s the first and most important step. Some apples are good for baking (Golden Delicious), some are sweet and great for snacking (Honeycrisp), and others are crisp and tart (Granny Smith). The type you choose depends on what you will be using it for.

Pick it up and give it a gentle squeeze. The apple should be nice and firm. If it feels at all mushy, it is probably close to being overripe. The last thing you want to do is bring home an apple that is about to start rotting in a day or two.

If an apple has a large discolored spot on it, it has probably been dropped before and bruised or it is starting to decay. Not all markings necessarily mean the apple is bad though. Some tiny specks and lines may occur naturally.

Although some varieties of apples are more fragrant than others, all good apples should at least have a slight pleasant aroma to them. If something is off about the apple, then you will be able to tell. Trust your nose.

A lot of people think that the intensity of the apple’s color signals how high of quality it is. However, there is so much variation in apple colors that it is not really a reliable indicator. Although, it can be helpful in certain situations. For example, if a normally deep red type of apple has shades of green on it, it is best avoided.

Peaches are one of the most delicious types of fruit. Although, all too often we end up selecting ones that are sour and lacking in flavor by accident. Follow these strategies to make sure you get a peach with plenty of sweetness.

If the peach feels hard like a baseball, it is best left at the store. No matter how long you let it sit, it won’t fully ripen as it was likely picked too early. If it has a slight give like a tennis ball, it will likely ripen fully within a week. A slightly soft peach is what you are looking for. If it is really squishy, it means it is already overripe.

The red blush colorings of a peach form where the sun hit it and aren’t an indicator of ripeness. However, if you check by the stem where there was less sunlight on the peach, it should be golden or orange. If it is light yellow or has a greenish tint in that area, it is not as ripe.

On a peach, you don’t want to see any markings. It should be free of any random scratches or discolored spots. In addition, there should be no flat spots or indentations.

Wrinkled skin means that the peach was likely chilled after it was harvested. If a peach is chilled for too much time, it causes it to dry out. Then the skin starts to lose its elasticity. A good peach should be nice and smooth like the ones in the photo.

You should expect a peach to smell how you would expect it to taste. If there is no aroma at all, it is likely a pretty bland peach. A good peach will be very fruity and sweet-smelling. It does depend on the variety of peach though, so if possible, ask the farmer for more information.

Picking the best bunch of bananas is easier than ever thanks to these tricks. Unlike many types of fruits, there is no specific season for bananas. A good bunch can be found at any time of the year.

When it comes to bananas, color is actually very important. They should be a bold yellow. If you want to eat them right away, look for some very slight brown speckling too. If you want to eat the bananas in a few days, it’s better if there is a small amount of green showing on each end of the banana.

Some light brown dots mean it is ready to eat. However, if there are a lot of very dark and prominent spots, the banana is probably past its prime. Deep and sunken spots indicate bruises and rotting areas.

A dull gray color across the whole banana indicates it was stored at cold temperatures and then brought into warmer temperatures. It’s similar to what happens if you freeze a banana temporarily and then take it out again. The peel will get darker. It ruins the banana and prevents it from ripening how it should.

Banana peels can split for a variety of reasons. However, none of them are good. Usually, it means the banana is past its prime or that is was damaged in transport. There will likely be a mushy bruised area underneath the split.

When bananas are on the tree, they start off small and green. They mature into their full form over time. If bananas are small and very firm, it is a sign that they were picked too early.

Oranges are great when you get a good one. However, we’ve all had the unpleasant experience of biting into a sour orange. Follow these steps to make sure that never happens again.

You don’t want to try and pick up some Navel oranges in the fall. They are best from mid-winter to early spring. The best time to get Valencia oranges starts in the late spring and ends mid-summer.

If it is soft at all or has any visible mold, it is too old. You want it to be firm. It should also feel heavy for its size. If it feels kind of light, it could mean that it has really thick skin and there is not much actual orange inside.

Some companies actually dye their oranges to create a bolder color. Meanwhile, a Valencia orange could have green spots and still be totally ripe. An orange with some brown shading and darker patches doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad either. Most likely, it was just grown in an area with high humidity and heat.

When stored at room temperature, an orange will stay in peak condition for about a week. If stored in the fridge, it will be good for around two weeks. If an orange is starting to feel soft to the touch, it should be thrown away.

Because of the high water content of oranges, freezing and thawing them will change the texture of the fruit. Although, fresh-squeezed orange juice can be frozen. If stored in a plastic container in the freezer, it will last for up to a year.

Mango’s are a delight, especially on a warm summer day. They are both refreshing and delicious. The key to choosing a good one all comes down to feel.

A hard mango is an unripe mango. Green mangos on the tree are hard as a rock. You want the mango to have a little give to it and be slightly soft. Picking a mango is similar to how you would pick a peach or an avocado. The riper it gets, the softer it gets.

Unless the mango is completely green, you shouldn’t have a problem. There are different varieties of mangos that come in a range of colors. Many mangos are a mix of red, orange, green, and yellow, yet, they are still very ripe.

A little mango juice often leaks out near where the stem is if it is ripe. That means you should be able to detect a fruity smell there and it might be slightly sticky. It’s not a full-proof strategy, but when combined with the squeeze test, it is pretty useful.

It won’t really ripen much if you leave it in the fridge. You can also speed up the ripening process by placing the mango in a brown paper bag and sealing it shut. Within two days, it should be ready to eat.

One of the trickiest parts about eating a mango is figuring out how to slice it. Don’t do what the person in this picture is doing! Instead, start at the stem and slice downwards pressing against the seed. Repeat on the other side of the seed to divide the mango into two halves. Then scoop the mango out with a spoon.

Instead of just spooning it out of the skin and eating it, try and get the entire chunk of mango out the skin intact by working the spoon around the edges and then scooping it all at once. Then slice the mango into squares without fully cutting all of the way through the flesh.

The best way to learn how to do it is by watching someone else. We’ve included this video which provides five different ways you can slice a mango yourself at home for reference.