{"id":1989,"date":"2015-09-12T13:31:21","date_gmt":"2015-09-12T13:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/?p=1989"},"modified":"2017-06-12T13:31:46","modified_gmt":"2017-06-12T13:31:46","slug":"watermelon-myths-can-a-broom-straw-determine-ripeness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/watermelon-myths-can-a-broom-straw-determine-ripeness\/","title":{"rendered":"WATERMELON MYTHS: CAN A BROOM STRAW DETERMINE RIPENESS?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qMZ65rNYjDw?feature=oembed\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve heard a lot of watermelon myths in my time as the Watermelon Guy, but this one takes the cake. The video above, posted by Stacy Lyn Harris, owner and author of the blog <a href=\"http:\/\/gameandgarden.com\/sustainability\/gardening\/the-truth-on-wives-tales-myths-and-traditions-to-a-ripe-watermelon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Game &amp; Garden<\/a>, claims that you can test a watermelon\u2019s ripeness or sweetness using a piece of straw from a common household broom.<\/p>\n<p>Stacy\u2019s method is new to me (check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/index.php\/2009\/05\/how-to-choose-the-right-watermelon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">my blog entry<\/a> to learn about more traditional ripeness-testing methods), and one that I\u2019m dying to test. According to her article, this method of checking a watermelon\u2019s ripeness dates back as early as 1945, where a picker places \u201ca broom straw horizontally across a watermelon. If the melon is ripe, the straw will turn to a 45-degree angle; if it is green, it will not move.\u201d Apparently, as the watermelon ripens, it becomes more magnetic, and the broom straw acts like a compass needle.<\/p>\n<p>So, does this method really work? I tested it for myself on three different watermelon, including one chosen because it looked less ripe than the others. When placed on the riper watermelon, the straw really did move a little (through not much). When placed on the less ripe watermelon, the straw didn\u2019t move at all.<\/p>\n<p>Is that concrete proof that this method really works? I\u2019m not convinced, but if you want to take a piece of broom straw with you during your next trip to the grocery store, I wouldn\u2019t fault you one bit!<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>REMEMBER: All comments left on the blog this month are entered to win our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/september-prize-watermelon-pop-out-cutter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">September prize<\/a> \u2014 the watermelon pop-out cutter \u2014 so comment as often as you\u2019d like!<\/strong><\/em><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>UP NEXT: A naturally heart-healthy food<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve heard a lot of watermelon myths in my time as the Watermelon Guy, but this one takes the cake. The video above, posted by Stacy Lyn Harris, owner and author of the blog Game &amp; Garden, claims that you can test a watermelon\u2019s ripeness or sweetness using a piece of straw from a common [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[589,590,591,592],"class_list":{"0":"post-1989","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-general","7":"tag-broom-straw","8":"tag-determine-ripeness","9":"tag-watermelon-myth","10":"tag-watermelon-ripeness","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>WATERMELON MYTHS: CAN A BROOM STRAW DETERMINE RIPENESS? - What About Watermelon?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whataboutwatermelon.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/watermelon-myths-can-a-broom-straw-determine-ripeness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WATERMELON MYTHS: CAN A BROOM STRAW DETERMINE RIPENESS? - What About Watermelon?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019ve heard a lot of watermelon myths in my time as the Watermelon Guy, but this one takes the cake. 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