What is a Yellow Watermelon?

As summer is officially beginning to set it, the weather is warming up. This means days of humidity, heat and hopefully some nice summer breezes. Warmer weather is the perfect time to cool off with a delicious slice of watermelon. This summertime favorite is a juice and sweet treat that so many people have come to look forward to at summer gatherings. Not only can you enjoy a slice of this tasty fruit as a snack, but watermelon is delightful in a number of recipes, from blended cocktails to savory or sweet salads. Most watermelons have pink or red flesh – but did you know there is actually a variety of this fruit that has a different interior color? Yes, you may be surprised to learn that there is such a thing as yellow watermelon. And if you’ve never experienced one before, this is your sign to find a yellow watermelon this summer. Read on to find out more about yellow watermelons and how to enjoy them at your next summer party.

What Makes This Watermelon Yellow?

There are a variety of factors that come into play regarding the color of fruit. When it comes to fruits and veggies like grapes, cherries, blueberries and purple sweet potatoes, a main contributor is anthocyanins. These flavonoids give these foods their rich color. The element in watermelons that make them red or pink is an antioxidant called lycopene, which is also what makes tomatoes red. When this antioxidant is not present in watermelon, the fruit will yield a yellow flesh inside.

A yellow watermelon may seem shocking if you are used to seeing only a certain type of watermelon in your local area. But there are a plethora of varieties around the world, with hundreds of kinds in just the United States and South America. Growing season can yield a wide range of shapes, colors and sizes for watermelon lovers to choose from. These varieties are decided based on variations in rind size, shapes and other characteristics of the fruit. There is even an orange watermelon, if you can believe it. The taste of this particular variety is similar to the yellow watermelon.

Do Yellow Watermelons Have A Different Exterior?

The fun part about fruits like watermelons is that you cannot always tell what color their flesh is. This is the case for yellow watermelons, as you cannot tell from the exterior rind that the interior is going to be yellow. Unless it is labeled, it would take you cutting into the fruit to determine the color, which can be an exciting surprise.

Yellow Watermelons Have The Same Uses

While the color may be different, yellow watermelons are a lot like their more typical red and pink fleshed counterparts. The yellow watermelon is described as sweeter than red ones, and is said to have hints of honey and apricot as flavor notes. Yellow watermelon is actually a lot easier to find than you may think, and can be found in many grocery stores. If you are looking to start using yellow watermelon in your summer dishes, feel free to incorporate it into the same recipes you would with red watermelons. You can even try out a cool, new aesthetic by combining yellow and red watermelon together in the same recipe.

How to Make Sure You Choose A Ripe Watermelon

One of the most important rules of thumb when choosing a watermelon is making sure it is ripe. There is nothing worse than anticipating a sweet, delicious bite of fresh watermelon to find out that the fruit was not ready to be cut. The easiest way to determine if a watermelon is ripe is to check its ground spot, or also known as a belly spot or field spot. This is the patch of yellow rind on the underside of the fruit. This part of the melon is what grew untouched by the sun. Always look for a nice, yellow ground spot – if you can’t find it, this probably means it has not fully ripened.