Return customers are, of course, our favorites at Rudy’s Happy Patch Market. Last Thursday, local customers R.J. and Hope, pictured here, came in early to select another watermelon for summer eating.

“We bought a fresh watermelon earlier this week,” Hope said. “We never eat the entire melon at one time, but that melon was so good, we could not stop. So we came back for another one this morning.”

Several customers joined in on a discussion of watermelons, sharing their own ways of selecting the ripest melon. Hoping they had selected a melon equal to their first purchase, R. J. and Hope headed to the market check-out desk.

Following are some tips for selecting the ripest, sweetest watermelon:

Select a watermelon with a uniform shape, without bumps or dents.

Choose the watermelon that seems heaviest for its size.

Look for a large yellow “field spot” (where the melon lay on the ground as it grew).

Thump the melon and listen for a deep sound.

Check for a firm rind that doesn’t given in to pressure.

Pick a melon with a dried stem, rather than a green one.