Slimy Watermelon Syndrome
August 3, 2019 10:31 AM   Subscribe

Most watermelons are "crisp", with tiny corpuscles of water that burst as you chew. Some watermelons are slimy. They're just as moist, but water permeates the flesh evenly. More cantaloupe-like. Is slimy watermelon syndrome (SWS) just the result of overripeness? Or is it varietal?
posted by Quisp Lover to Food & Drink (8 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: I'd edit that if I could. I used the word 'just' (in "just the result") in the sense of "merely". I have no idea what's responsible for SWS.

Carry on.
posted by Quisp Lover at 10:37 AM on August 3, 2019


I’d say they are overripe. Though I suppose some varieties could over-ripen more easily than others.
posted by SLC Mom at 10:54 AM on August 3, 2019


Same, in my experience that's the taste of overripe watermelons
posted by cendawanita at 11:20 AM on August 3, 2019


It’s also about handling I think. Take two watermelons of same ripeness and variety, vibrate one for a while, and it will be slimier than the control melon.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:33 AM on August 3, 2019 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Is there anywhere I can go to pay a premium for unvibrated melons?
posted by Quisp Lover at 1:12 PM on August 3, 2019 [6 favorites]


What Does an Over-Ripe Watermelon Look Like?
Everything here is accurate in my experience.
posted by neroli at 2:01 PM on August 3, 2019 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: neroli

Yeah, good stuff, except for this:

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The texture of a ripe watermelon should be smooth and strong. Pinch the fruit to determine whether the texture is what it should be. An over-ripe watermelon won't resist your fingers, while a ripe one will be stronger and stand up to the pressure of the pinch.
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The last two slimy melons I had were so firm that I had to sharpen my chef's knife to penetrate the rind.
posted by Quisp Lover at 3:26 PM on August 3, 2019


The last two slimy melons I had were so firm that I had to sharpen my chef's knife to penetrate the rind.

Since that test describes pinching (rather than say, poking) I think that particular test is for the interior flesh after you’ve cut the melon open.
posted by Secret Sparrow at 3:46 PM on August 3, 2019 [2 favorites]


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