How to pick and cut the PERFECT watermelon

Ok, this was TOP SECRET information that was very hard to negotiate away from the smartest man in the world, my big brother, Sam. I had to say that because he really didn't want to share his watermelon knowledge. He's worried that if I share this information, then all the "good" watermelons will be gone. But I assured him that the odds of all 10 of my readers shopping at the same store he does, would be very slim (just kidding, I hope I have more than 10 readers). But with that said, if you happen to be shopping for watermelons out of the same bin as my brother, please give him first pick. Mmkay?

Whenver we have family parties, Sam is always assigned to bring the watermelon. This is because he was taught by our grandmother the art of picking the perfect melon, years ago. And trust me, it works every time.

So the secret is that watermelons have "birthmarks" where they sit on the ground as they grow. Have you ever noticed the white - yellow round mark on the melon? That's what I'm talking about. A white mark means it's not quite ripe. A yellow mark means it's too ripe. So, you want to pick the one that's just barely off-white, a creamy color. Forget about pounding them to find the perfect sound, or pricking a little mark with your fingernail and smelling it. This is the sure way to a perfect melon, every time, without fail.

Thank you Sam!

Now, this is how you cut a watermelon. This will make your life so much easier.

1. Cut the melon in half and start with one side face down on the cutting board.

2. Next slice the top off just until pink shows and there's no more green or white showing.

3. Now, start slicing the sides off in a circular motion. Just think about cutting all the green and white off and that will make more sense.

4. Continue until your melon is completely bald (kind of like my poor little son, when I tried giving him his first buzz cut this summer...poor kid).

5. Then slice the melon into a grid and be sure to cut slices width-wise, like this, as well. (By the way, these are the BEST knives in the world...I'm just saying.)

6. ENJOY!!!