Pick the best watermelon with these tips to celebrate National Watermelon Day.

It’s not summer unless you’re enjoying some delicious watermelon. A sweet, juicy watermelon can brighten even the dreariest summer day. On the other hand, a bland one can be a disappointment — especially if you’ve been looking forward to it all day.

Finding a ripe, flavorful watermelon is easier than you think. The knock method is popular but can be a bit of a guessing game. Fortunately, there are more obvious signs you can look for to help you bring home the perfect watermelon to cap off a summer day.

Watch this video for tips on how to pick the best watermelon at the grocery store.

Ripe watermelon

The watermelon should be heavy and a little ugly. You want the rind to have spots and webbing — but not soft or mushy areas.

Look for a deep yellow field spot, which indicates the watermelon was resting on the ground while growing. It should also have webbing, sometimes mistaken for scratches, on the exterior. This is a sign that sugars have started to leach out and the watermelon will be sweet.

If you’re doing the knock test, it should sound dense inside — not hollow.

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How to cut a watermelon

When you’re ready to cut into your watermelon, reach for a serrated knife. It will slice through the rind and flesh more easily than a straight-edged knife.

However you like to cut the watermelon, cut it in short ways.

To cut a wedge:

  1. With the flat, exposed watermelon facing down, cut the half into fourths.
  2. Flip the pieces onto the rind and cut across the shorter end.

To cut into pops:

  1. With the flat, exposed watermelon facing down, make multiple parallel cuts along it. The number of cuts depends on how thick you want the pops.
  2. Rotate the sliced watermelon 90º.
  3. Make more parallel cuts.
  4. The inside cuts will be easy-to-eat watermelon pops!
  5. You can enjoy the edge pieces as is, or cut them into small wedges. This would be great for garnishing!

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to look for when buying a watermelon at the grocery store: Video

Reporting by Cody Godwin, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect