Some consumers thump watermelons to determine ripeness. Others check for yellow spots. But there is one foolproof method for choosing the best melon.
“Know your grower,” said Rick Brossman, a Loudoun County produce farmer who helps operate Brossman’s Family Farm and Farmstand.
The fourth-generation farmer grows multiple varieties of watermelon, cantaloupe and other crops on 85 acres to suit the tastes and dietary needs of Northern Virginia’s diverse ethnic populations. With a meticulous process that starts in winter, the Brossmans graft their watermelons to naturally resist blight and parasites.
“Most watermelons wilt in heat, but these won’t because of vigorous grafts on the root stalk,” Brossman said. “Grafted melon produces a strong root base that’s enormous, able to draw in all the nutrients we feed.”
Brossman’s watermelon inventory includes seedless Sugar Babies, seeded Sangria Melons, Yellow Babies and Bottle Rockets.
“The sugar babies are by far the best watermelon in my opinion...