Fruits for Breakfast

Apple

Apples are one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits. They grow on small, deciduous trees. The proverb "An apple a day keeps the doctor away", addressing the health effects of the fruit, dates from 19th century Wales. According to researchers, apples may reduce the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer.

Nutrition

• Excellent source of fiber
• Cholesterol free
• Contains Vitamin C
• Contains heart-healthy potassium
• Fat-free, saturated fat-free and trans fat-free
• Higher level of healthy fatty acids

Health Benefits

• Improve your digestion
• Helps in loosing weight
• Improves heart health
• One of best high-fiber foods
• Prevention of colon cancer
• Helps in maintaining blood sugar level

Purchase Guide

• In general, apples tend to be a full red or slightly orange color when they are fully ripe.
• Apples with a full color have absorbed a lot of sunlight, so they tend to be more flavorful than dull looking apples.
• Apples won’t always be one solid color, but if half of the apple is still green (when it should be red), it has not ripened evenly and may not be the best choice.

Storage: Apples should be crisp and firm. Refrigerate or store in a cool, dark place. You can keep for several weeks. Apples release a gas that makes other fruits ripen more quickly, so if you don’t want your fruit to ripen too fast, keep it away from the apples.

Apricots

Apricot is a type of juicy fruit belonging to the peach family and is mostly cultivated in cold climatic regions. Apricots vary in taste as some have sweet kernels and some have bitter kernels. They are used in desserts and few are also added to meat dishes.

Turkey is the leading producer of apricots. Laetrile, an alternative treatment for cancer, is extracted from apricot seeds. Apricots are low in calories and rich in dietary fibers.

Banana

Delightfully sweet with firm and creamy flesh, bananas come pre-packaged in their own yellow jackets and are available for harvest all through the year. The fruit ripens from deep-green to bright yellow, making it consumable. The commonly cultivated fruit is seedless.

Nutrition

• Source of vitamin B6
• A good source of both vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber.
• High in potassium

Health Benefits

• Lowers blood pressure
• Help repair muscle tissues and balance water retention
• Improves Kidney Function
• Maintains normal blood pressure
• Helps in regular bowel function 

Purchase Guide: Bananas should be firm, but not too hard, bright in appearance, and free from bruises or other injuries. Their stems and tips should be intact. The size of the banana does not affect its quality, so simply choose the size that best meets your needs.

Storage: While bananas look resilient, they are actually very fragile and care should be taken in their storage. They should be left to ripen at room temperature and should not be subjected to overly hot or cold temperatures. Unripe bananas should not be placed in the refrigerator as this will interrupt the ripening process to such an extent that it will not be able to resume even if the bananas are returned to room temperature.

Eat them before they turn completely brown. You can refrigerate them to slow down their ripening. Their peel continues to darken in the refrigerator, but not their flesh.

Black Grapes

Black Grapes aren’t just delicious, they are packed with super nutrients too. They are used in making different kind of beverages, salad, smoothies and cake. Just a handful of black grapes in your daily diet will help you to achieve your nutritional goals.

Blueberry

Blueberry, often regarded as Mother Nature’s super antioxidant, ranks as the second favorite fruit in the world after strawberry. From sweet to tart and tangy, blueberries are grown in clusters and range in a size from a pea to a marble. The fruit turns from pale green to dark blue upon ripening.

Nutrition

• Good source of vitamin K, vitamin C and manganese
• Good source of fiber and copper
• High in water content
• Low in carbohydrates 
• Highest amount of antioxidants
• Abundance of vitamin C

Health Benefits

• Increase bone density and elasticity
• Prevents oxidative DNA damage
• Prevent wrinkles, age spots, and acne
• Strengthens the cardiac muscles
• keeps you feeling fuller for longer to aid in weight loss

Purchase Guide: Avoid berries that appear dull in color or are soft and watery in texture. They should be free from moisture since the presence of water will cause the berries to decay. When purchasing frozen berries, shake the bag gently to ensure that the berries move freely and are not clumped together, which may suggest that they have been thawed and refrozen. 

Storage: Fresh berries are very fragile and should be washed briefly and carefully and then gently patted dry if they are not organic. Wash berries just prior to use to not prematurely remove the protective bloom that resides on the skin's surface. Store blueberries in freeze in a plastic box (not metal).

Cherry

A small round stoned fruit which grows in bunches. Cherry belongs to the same family of plums, apricots, peaches, etc. It varies from dark red to bright red in color. Mostly eaten raw it is also used in pies and jams. Unlike any other fruit, cherries have a very short fruiting season. Cherries have a hard seed surrounded by edible flesh.

Nutrition

• A natural COX-2 inhibitor
• High polyphenol content
• Helps to increase your melatonin levels
• Good source of potassium to help heart

Health Benefits

• Reduce pain and inflammation associated with inflammatory arthritis and gout
• Treats Insomnia
• Helps reduce blood pressure
• Minimize muscle pain post workout
• lowers the blood uric acid

Purchase Guide: If you possibly can, taste cherries before you buy them.Always look for shiny, plump cherries with fresh green stems and dark coloring for their variety.

Storage

• Cherries are a pretty sensitive fruit - they lose their juicy taste in room temperature environments. 
• Keep cherries, unwashed and stems attached, in a paper bag, loosely-covered container, or loosely closed plastic bag in the refrigerator until you're ready to use them. 
• Cherries will last for around a week in the fridge. If you want to keep them longer, consider freezing the fruits in airtight plastic bags.

Coconut

Almost all parts of the coconut palm are useful. Fruit of the coconut palm can be eaten or used in preparation of sweet, chips and savory dishes. Oil and milk derived from this fruit that are widely used in cooking. Water found enclosed inside the coconut shell is considered one of the best summer coolers.

Cranberry

Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs. The fruit is a berry which is larger than the leaves of the plant. The fruits are initially white, but they turn deep red when fully ripe. It has a somewhat acidic taste that adds to its sweetness.

Dates

A type of stoned fruit that is available fresh or dried and is grown widely in desert areas. Dates are a staple food in the Middle East. They are sweet and chewy. They come in a cylindrical shape and have a wrinkled texture.

Nutrition

• Contain 23 types of amino acids
• Contain not less than 15 minerals
• High iron content 
• Contain vitamins A and K
• Good source of vitamin B

Health Benefits

• Helps to move waste smoothly through your colon
• keep the body warm during the winter season
• Helps control your heart rate and blood pressure
• helps in building up strong immunity system
• Improves hemoglobin
• protect against muscular degeneration

Purchase Guide: Fresh dates can be wrinkled, but they shouldn't feel hard. Look for fresh dates that are plump looking and have a slightly glossy look to their skin. Avoid dates that have crystallized sugar on their skins (a little whiteness is okay, but not actual crystals), since that means they are not quite as fresh as you might like.

Storage: Since they’re mostly sugar, they last a very long time. But store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator if you plan to use them for 45 days or more.

Dragon Fruit

Dragon Fruit is a nutrient rich fruit as in 100 gram amount it contains 60 calories, 82% carbohydrates, 4% protein, and 11% of the Daily Value each for vitamin C and calcium.

Grapefruit

Grapes

A grape is a type of berry of woody vines that grows in clusters; they can be eaten raw or used to make wine, jam, raisins, vinegar, etc. Grapes are very low in calories. They are also good source of vitamins A, C, K and Carotenes. Grapes contain phyto-chemicals that have been found to have an anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, as well as anti-cancer property.

Nutrition

• Contains 17% of the daily value of vitamin K, and 33% in manganese
• Rich in micro-nutrient minerals like copper
• Low GI value of grapes is a good indicator of this fruit's blood sugar benefits
• A powerhouse of antioxidants

Health Benefits

• Lower the risk of excessive and unwanted inflammation
• Help to avoid dangerous combination of chronic oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.
• Provide anti-aging benefits
• Helps in increasing blood flow to the brain

Purchase Guide

• Fully ripened grapes are plump and free from wrinkles. They should be intact, firmly attached to a healthy looking stem, and not leaking juice. The area around the attachment should have the same color as the rest of the grape.
• One way to help predict the sweetness of grapes is by their color: green grapes are medium sweet, red grapes are very sweet, and blue-black grapes are the least sweet. Green grapes should have a slight yellowish hue, red grapes should be mostly red, while purple and blue-black grapes should be deep and rich in color.

Storage: Since grapes tend to spoil and ferment at room temperature, they should always be stored in the refrigerator. Loosely wrap unwashed grapes in a paper towel and place them in an airtight container or plastic bag. This way, they'll keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Green Apple

Green apples are mostly sour in taste. They contain slightly more fiber and less carbohydrates and sugar than red apples. Green apples are better source of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K than red apple.

Guava

The guava is a tropical fruit with a rough outer skin and a sweet seedy flesh. It gives off a fragrance which is similar to lemon. The outer skin is green and changes color to either yellow, maroon or green when ripe.

Nutrition

• A very good source of Vitamin A, and flavonoids like beta-carotene
• An excellent source of antioxidant vitamin C
• Rich source of potassium
• Moderate source of minerals like magnesium, copper, and manganese

Health Benefits

• Ensure a healthy nervous system for unborn babies
• helps digestive process
• reduce chances of wrinkles, saggy or dry skin
• treat acne and smooth the texture of your skin
• relieve symptoms such as sore throat

Purchase Guide

• The fruit is soft when ripe with sweet musky aroma and creamy texture. Internally, its flesh varies in color depending up on the cultivar and may be white, pink, yellow, or red. Ripe fruits have a rich flavor with a sweet-tart taste. 
• Press gently on the rind of the fruit. Though the skin may be thin or thick, depending on variety, a ripe guava should be slightly soft under pressure.
• Look for guavas that do not have blemishes.

Storage

• If the guavas aren't ripe yet, let them sit on the counter for 2-3 days until the skin yields when you press on the fruit.
• Refrigerate ripened guavas up to 5-6 days in a plastic or paper bag.

Jamun

This purple berry has a unique taste, color and flavor. For its resemblance, jamun is always misinterpreted as blackberrry.

Kiwi

Kiwi fruit or kiwi berry is an edible berry that has a soft texture and a sweet flesh. The fibrous greenish-brown outer portion shields the bright green flesh. The center of the fruit has black tiny edible seeds. Kiwi fruit is now a commercial crop in countries like Italy, France, Greece and New Zealand.

The creamy flesh tastes like a mixture of strawberries and bananas, yet has its own distinct tang.

Lychee

Lychee is a fruit which has an extremely juicy whitish pulp and is usually eaten fresh. It is very sweet and tarty in taste. The fruit is oval shaped. It has a very enticing floral fragrance.

It is covered with a rough texture which is pink in color and is to be removed before being consumed. It is very popular in China and India. It has an inedible seed. The sweet flavour of the seed is lost when canned; hence its flavour is best relished when eaten fresh.

Nutrition

• Good amount of antioxidant Vitamin C
• high amount of dietary fiber 
• loaded with B-vitamin components
• Good source of manganese, magnesium, copper, iron 

Health Benefits

• Improves the immune system 
• Helps to maintain high blood pressure
• Prevent early ageing
• improve your heart’s strength
• Excellent for the hair and skin

Purchase Guide: Look for lychee fruits with a bright red, pebbly textured rind, which indicates that they have reached the proper sugar-to-acid ratio.

Storage: Fresh fruit wrapped in plastic can be kept in a refrigerator for five to seven days and may be kept at room temperature for two or three days.

Mango

One of the most popular fruits, Mango is known to be the 'King of Fruits' because of its rich and aromatic flavor. It is the national fruit of India. In India, the green leaves are used ritually as floral decorations.

The outer cover maybe yellow, orange or green depending on the type. The inside flesh is soft yellow, pulpy and juicy with an inedible stone. It is a summer fruit native to the Indian subcontinent. Philippines, Alphonso, Langra, Chaunsa, Dasheri, Totapuri are the most popular varieties of mangoes.

Nutrition

• Contain over 20 different vitamins and minerals
• Provides 35% of your daily vitamin A, 100% of your daily vitamin C.
• Contains 12% of your daily fiber.
• Excellent source of folate. 
• Gives an extra boost of energy

Health Benefits

• Slows Signs of Aging
• Improves Digestive Health
• Supports Strong Bones
• Strengthens the immune system

Purchase Guide: The only mangoes you really need to avoid are ones with noticeable dark spotting, bruising, or any that are super soft.

Storage: If your mangoes are still a bit unripened, place them in a paper bag in a warm place, which will help them ripen within two days. However, you can also choose to keep unripened mangoes at room temperature, which will take them about a week to ripen. Keep ripen mangoes in freeze only.

Mulberry

A fruit belonging to the berry family. The fruits turn pink to dark purple or black. It is about 2-3 cm long and has a sweet, tarty flavor. They get their color from a chemical called anthocyanins which is a great antioxidant.

Nutrition

• Excellent sources of vitamin-C & Iron
• A good source of minerals like potassium, manganese, and magnesium
• Contains very good amounts of vitamin B-6, niacin, riboflavin and folic acid

Health Benefits

• Aid in weight loss
• keep liver healthy
• Less in calories 
• Helps in controlling heart rate and blood pressure
• Improve blood circulation

Purchase Guide: In the local stores, look for fleshy berries flavorful and heavy in hands. Avoid bruised, bleeding and sunken berries.

Storage: Mulberries spoil rather quickly. Once at home, preserve them in a zip pouch unwashed, and place inside the refrigerator where they stay fresh for up to 2-3 days. To eat, wash the berries in cold water in a container (bowl) instead of in running water. This way, you avoid injuring them. This method also brings the berries to room temperature and enhances their flavor and taste.

Muskmelon

Muskmelon is a sweet, flavorful fruit that's known for its vibrant flesh and culinary versatility. It provides a wealth of important nutrients and has been associated with many health benefits.

Orange

Orange is a citrus fruit that can be sweet or bitter. Brazil is the world's largest producer of oranges. It is believed to have originated in Southeast Asia. It is a winter fruit that is available mostly in colder climate but now it can be seen most of the year.

Its consumption is the healthiest when eaten sitting in the morning sun, as it gives a complete set of nutrients essential for the body. It is very good for curing cold.

Nutrition

• Excellent source of vitamin C
• Good Source of Fiber
• Good levels of vitamin A, and other flavonoid antioxidants 
• Good source of B-complex vitamins

Health Benefits

• Prevents against Cardiovascular Disease
• Glowing skin
• Prevents Kidney Stone formation
• Helps control heart rate and blood pressure
• Reduce Risk for Stomach Cancer

Purchase Guide: Fresh oranges have bright color, devoid of any wrinkles on the skin, should feel heavy for their size, and impart sweet aroma. Avoid any overtly soften fruits with spots and mold as they tend to perish early.

Storage: Oranges can either be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator, depending upon your preference. They will generally last the same amount of time, two weeks with either method, and will retain nearly the same level of their vitamin content. The best way to store oranges is loose rather than wrapped in a plastic bag since if exposed to moisture, they can easily develop mold.

Papaya

It is a tropical fruit that has a sweet taste, soft texture and are pear shaped. It is native to southern Mexico and Central America. The black seeds of papaya are actually edible and have a peppery taste. Young papaya contains papain and hence has been used as a meat tenderizer for centuries now.

Nutrition

• Contains the digestive enzyme,papain
• Good source of fiber
• Powerful antioxidants vitamin C
• Beta-carotene, and vitamin E

Health Benefits

• Prevents atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease.
• Lower high cholesterol levels.
• Prevents Colon cancer.
• Helps lower inflammation and to improve healing from burns.
• Proper function of a healthy immune system

Purchase Guide: Choose papayas that have reddish-orange skin and are slightly soft to the touch. Those that have patches of yellow color will take a few more days to ripen.

Storage: Ripe papayas should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within one or two days. Unripe Papayas (partially yellow) should be left at room temperature where they will ripen in a few days.

Peach

Peach is a type of fruit that comes from the deciduous peach tree native to China and South Asia. Peaches are seen with high regard in Chinese culture. In many other cultures, peaches have got historical significance. The fruit is in the size of a small apple. It is usually yellow or whitish in color and has a velvety or a very smooth texture with a juicy pulp.

Peach is also available in red and pink colors. It has a single seed and is oval shaped about 1.3-2 cm long. China is the world's largest producer of peaches.

Nutrition

• Source of antioxidants
• High level of Caffeic acid
• Contains good vitamin C
• Potassium is in abundance
• Low in saturated fat and cholesterol
• flavonoids such as lycopene and lutein

Health Benefits

• Prevents macular degeneration
• Helps in regulate heart rate and blood pressure
• Low in calories, which helps prevent obesity
• Helps in red blood cell formation

Purchase Guide

• Peach should not have any green tones, which is a sign that the peach was picked too early.
• Skip over any peaches with wrinkly skin, they were probably kept chilled after harvest for too long and dried out.
• Look for medium to large-sized peaches to take home whenever possible.

Storage: Peaches can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple more days, but eat them before they start to get wrinkly, which is a sign that they are starting to dry out.

Pear

Belonging to the member of rose family, pear is a fruit that is juicy and can have a mildly acidic to sweet taste. It typically has a rounded body that tapers into a neck. Pears are available in different forms: fresh, dried, canned or in the form of juice.

The fruit is available in variety of colors from green to brown. They are used majorly in desserts and are a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin C.

Nutrition

• Contains some vitamin A, vitamin E
• Good Source of Vitamin C
• Great Source of Fiber
• Good source of vitamin K and boron

Health Benefits

• Low-calorie food
• Prevents or treat digestive issues
• Helps in fight with Diabetes
• Help heal muscle tears post workout
• Prevents bone breakdown

Purchase Guide: Look for pears that are firm, but not too hard. They should have a smooth skin that is free of bruises or mold. The color of good quality pears may not be uniform as some may feature resetting where there are brown-speckled patches on the skin; this is an acceptable characteristic and oftentimes reflects a more intense flavor. Avoid pears that are punctured or have dark soft spots.

Storage: Place them in the refrigerator where they will remain fresh for a few days.Storing pears in sealed plastic bags or restricted spaces where they are in too close proximity to each other should be avoided since they will have limited exposure to oxygen, and the ethylene gas that they naturally produce will greatly increase their ripening process, causing them to degrade. Pears should also be stored away from other strong smelling foods, whether on the counter top on in the refrigerator, as they tend to absorb smells.

Pineapple

It is a sweet juicy fruit native to South America. They are grown from March to June but can be found all year around. It is consumed in a variety of ways but raw pineapple is the most nutritious as it is rich in magnesium and vitamin C.

Nutrition

• Provide three-quarters of the manganese needed for one day. 
• Good source of folates, thiamin, biotin, pyridoxine, riboflavin, and minerals.

Health Benefits

• Good source of Vitamin C
• Helps in building strong immune system support
• Highly recommended for indigestion
• Helps in dealing with arthritis inflammation
• keeps your eyes bright and healthy

Purchase Guide

• Although the season for pineapple runs from March through June, they are available year-round in local markets.
• Look for pineapples that are heavy for their size. While larger pineapples will have a greater proportion of edible flesh, there is usually no difference in quality between a small and large size pineapple.
• Pineapples should be free of soft spots, bruises and darkened "eyes," all of which may indicate that the pineapple is past its prime. Pineapple stops ripening as soon as it is picked, so choose fruit with a fragrant sweet smell at the stem end. Avoid pineapple that smells musty, sour or fermented.

Storage

• Pineapple can be left at room temperature for one or two days before serving. While this process will not make the fruit any sweeter, it will help it to become softer and more juicy. Yet, as they are very perishable, you should still watch them closely during this period to ensure that they do not spoil.
• After two days, if you are still not ready to consume the pineapple, you should wrap it in a plastic bag and store it in the refrigerator where it will keep for a maximum of three to five days.
• Pineapple that has been cut up should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Plum

Red or dark red round fruit with a stone, which is sweet but the skin and around the stone is very sour. Mature plums have a dusty-white coating that gives them a glaucous appearance; this can easily be rubbed off though. Dried plums are sometimes known as prunes. They are also called as 'drupes' fruits with a hard stone pit surrounding the seed.

Nutrition

• A low-fat food, with less than one gram of fat per serving
• A moderate source of vitamin A and β-carotene
• Plentiful in minerals like potassium, fluoride and iron

Health Benefits

• Treats constipation because of their fiber content
• Helpful in reducing bad cholesterol
• Helps to regulate the smooth digestive system functioning
• Protects from lung and oral cavity cancers.

Purchase Guide

• Fresh plums are available from June through October since their peak season is August and September.
• When you select plums in the produce section of your market, look for fruit that is free of nicks and blemishes. They should be even in color, appear to be plump and smell sweet.
• Avoid purchasing plums that are rock-hard. These plums may never fully develop the rich juiciness of a fully ripe plum. Instead, pick plums that are slightly soft and give a little to the touch.

Storage: If your plums are slightly hard, you can keep them at room temperature in a paper bag to continue to ripen (about one to two days), but once they are slightly soft at the end, you'll want to put them in the refrigerator to prevent them from over-ripening. Fresh plums can keep in the refrigerator for about two to three days.

Pomegranate

It is a juicy fruit that is grown from March to May in the southern hemisphere, though it can be found all year round as well. It is native to Persia but is not grown all over the world. The fruit and the bark are known to have been used in the cure for diarrhea, dysentery and intestinal parasites.

Nutrition

• Good source of carbohydrates
• Packed full of minerals
• Abundance of vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K.  
• High Antioxidant

Health Benefits

• Helps maintain a healthy gut
• Controls aging problems 
• Supply iron to the blood
• Have antibacterial properties that help stop viruses
• Prevents Arthritis and Joint Pain 

Purchase Guide: Unripe pomegranates are round, like apples. However, their shape changes slightly as the fruit ripens and the juice-filled seeds begin to expand outward and press against the insides of the pomegranates. A ripe pomegranate will have more of a square shape because the sides will be flattened (instead of rounded).

Storage: Pomegranates can be preserved at room temperature in case you intend to consume them immediately. If not, they can be stored in the fridge for at least 3 weeks.

But after removing the seeds from your pomegranate, you can store them in the refrigerator for five to seven days. Be sure, however, to seal them tightly in a container or plastic bag before storing them.

Strawberry

Widely appreciated for its distinctive aroma, fiery red color and juicy taste, strawberry is everybody's favorite fruit. They are red, juicy and have a conical shape. Strawberries belong to the rose family and are essentially grown for the fruit.

Strawberries come in various shapes, sizes and colors; some are even off-white or yellow in color. Though available all through the year, the best berries are available from April to June.

Nutrition

• Source of vitamin C
• Excellent source of manganese
• Good source of the omega-3 fatty acid
• Rich in potassium, and antioxidants

Health Benefits

• Lower risk of cardiovascular disease
• Improved regulation of blood sugar
• Better free radical scavenging activity.
• Protect our blood vessels

Purchase Guide: Choose berries that are firm, plump, free of mold, and which have a shiny, deep red color and attached green caps.Avoid those that are dull in color or have green or yellow patches since they are likely to be sour and of inferior quality. Full ripe berries have the peak flavor and texture.

Storage: If you are buying strawberries prepackaged in a container, make sure that they are not packed too tightly (which may cause them to become crushed and damaged) and that the container has no signs of stains or moisture, indication of possible spoilage.

Before storing in the refrigerator, remove any strawberries that are molded or damaged so that they will not contaminate others. Place the unwashed and unhulled berries in a sealed container to prevent unnecessary loss of humidity. Strawberries will maintain excellent nutrient content if properly stored in a refrigerator for two days. Make sure not to leave strawberries at room temperature or exposed to sunlight for too long, as this will cause them to spoil.

Watermelon

Belonging to the same family as cucumber, pumpkin and gourd, watermelon is actually a vegetable. It is, however, consumed as a fruit for it juicy flesh. Watermelon holds almost 92% water content and is considered an ideal health food.

The red or pink flesh is secured by thick green rinds that are either spotted or striped. Watermelon can be oblong or spherical in shape. The ideal size of a watermelon can vary from a few pounds up to 90 pounds.

Nutrition

• An excellent level of vitamin C and is a source of vitamin A and vitamin B6
• A source of potassium, a mineral necessary for water balance 
• A good source of both carotenoids

Health Benefits

• Helps maintain normal nerve function and form red blood cells
• Helps to bolster the immune system's defenses against infections
• Keeps you refreshing & hydrated in Summer
• Good for people who are looking for weight loss

Purchase Guide

• A more ripened watermelon will feel heavy for its size. Heaviness in a watermelon is a good thing because the water content of a watermelon will typically increase along with ripening.
• If you actually find a stem sticking out from the watermelon, it can be an indication that the watermelon was picked prematurely.

Storage

• If you cut your watermelon in half and want to store one half, wrap it with plastic.This will keep your watermelon from picking up the scents or flavors of other food in your refrigerator.
• Chopped watermelon should be stored in an airtight container. Since watermelon is mostly water, the liquid begins leaving the flesh soon after cutting and continues to leave as it ages.
• You can store uncut watermelon for two days at room temperature. Best to consume the same day or next day.