Watermelon Thumpin’

Reader Contribution by Arkansas Girl
Published on July 17, 2020
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One day while purchasing watermelons, I saw a man land a good, hard thump on one — first time I’ve seen anyone do that other than us back-wood, country folks. When I impulsively thumped one, I asked myself, “What in the world are you doing?” My honest answer was, “I have no idea.”

As I glanced at the stranger thumpin’ that melon, I also wondered if he knew why he thumped it. He probably didn’t, because these days most watermelon buyers are clueless as to why they thump ’em. I have a sneaking suspicion, though, that watermelon thumpin’ is akin to belonging to a secret society. It’s a sign that the “thumpers” know something that “non-thumpers” don’t — which they probably don’t, but their ego makes them think they do.

I have no idea when watermelon thumpin’ started, but I do know that I saw it way back when I was a kid. I saw my dad and other farmers thump them in their patches. A thumped watermelon supposedly emits a certain sound and a certain feel to the finger. By the thump, you can determine if a melon is ripe, ready to pull, and ready to eat. Do you really believe that? Well, I don’t … not really. Those old, experienced, country farmers may know what they’re doing, but I have no idea. Over the years, I simply picked up the habit.

When people thump ’em in the store, they’re listening for that certain sound that they think indicates the melon is a prize pick. Since I don’t know what the “sound “ sounds like and what the “feel” feels like, instead of thumpin’ ‘em, I do several things.

First, I look the watermelon over real good. I do know this much: if a watermelon has a dark, yellowish-brown coloration on one side, it means that it laid in the field for a good little spell … perhaps too long. If it did, it could be overripe, or in some extreme cases, just right for eating. It all depends. Actually, that one is the kind I prefer over the dark green ones. To me, those are not ripe enough to be deliciously good and sweet. Perhaps it’s just tradition, but I do like to see a little yellow on the ones I buy.

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