I foolishly offered to make a watermelon and feta cheese starter for a lunch we’re having with friends on Wednesday. I’ve bought 3 watermelons this morning - one each from Leclerc, Lidl and Intermarché in the hope that one at least might be ripe by Wednesday.
Any suggestions please how I can tell if one or other of them is ripe?
There are a couple of YT vids which might help:
To be honest, we use the local fruit and veg shop in the High Street in out local town… the owner is usually very good at choosing stuff for us rather than just fobbing us off with rubbish to clear her shelves. Have been using this shop for years and do spend quite a lot money in there so it is in her interests to keep us on board…
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I’ve not watched the videos above but from just looking at the thumbnail for the first one I already know what they’re suggesting. My other half checks the end of melons before buying them (not sure if she does for watermelons too, but she does for cantaloupe melons) with great success.
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@Gareth @graham Should have asked before I bought this morning! Do you think it’s too late to take them back. 
Will they ripen? Or is it too late?
@SuePJ
according to this link… salad with feta is one way to use an unripe watermelon…
If your garden produces under-ripe watermelon, try your hand at a crisp and refreshing salad: Feta cheese, olives and mint or basil tossed with watermelon chunks.
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Look at the stalk it should detach around the edge, knock on it it should make a resonant klop noise. Smelling it won’t help unlike for other melons.
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May depend on where you bought them from.
'er indoors usually has some success taking stuff back to the market stall too and often gets a FOC replacement with a smile.
Must be her “school teacher” stare over the top of her glasses 
I’d give it go 
nothing ventured as they say…
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Interestingly, the melon we’re currently trying has several of the required attributes - brown stalk, hollow sound when knocked, yellow patch, good colour inside and plenty of water when cut open. Sadly, lacks just one thing - flavour.
And I beg to differ @Stella re the article’s claim.
Our feta salad has raw red onion sliced thinly, chunks of feta, toasted pumpkin seeds, balsamic velour and plenty of chopped up basil. Unfortunately without the sweet flavour of a beautiful watermelon the salad is unbalanced and not as wonderful as it can be. We will try melon number 2 for lunch tomorrow. 
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Must confess I’ve rarely eaten watermelon and was only offering the link in the hope that it would help…
fingers crossed all will be well on the day…
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The salad I’ve described, with the right watermelon is delicious.
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going off on a tangent…
yesterday’s salady-lunch which went down well…
crab sticks
avocado
radishes
cherry toms
black olives
potato salad
coleslaw
walnuts
Obviously, everything in moderation and chopped/sliced as appropriate.
If any watermelon comes my way… I’ll add that to the mix.
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I learned a trick re watermelon - salt. Sprinkle a little salt on it and the flavour comes out big-time.
The end of a Spanish family lunch
I told them about the salt trick and it was 
all round. Very conservative people, the Spanish. I managed to persuade Fernando, nearest the camera, to at least try one piece with salt. He didn’t like it.
Another way, for flavour, is one I have not tried yet. Best with a bunch of pals, I reckon … Inject it with vodka. 
Gotta be fab.
My way with melons is to squeeze from both ends. If there’s some give, it’s ripe.
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must be somewhat akin to the Charente where a Charentaise melon is split in two, the seeds removed and replaced with Pinot…
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Yep… I’ve tasted that… it’s delicious.
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Even better, chilli salt: pound a chilli with a couple of tablespoons of salt. Completely fabulous on practically all fruit.
Uni favourite, very very good and as you say best with pals.
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Absolutely ! Just without the melon 
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How was it today, Sue?
Better. I also added a bit of salt so that may have helped. I’ll cut the third one tomorrow morning and then make a decision.
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Success! In the end used the third melon though it was a hassle to de-seed (the others were seedless). Flavour ok-ish but with added salt, red onion, lashings of balsamic velours, goodly handful of basil and a whole pack of feta the starter was deemed good. 
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