How to Pick a Great Watermelon--No Thumping Involved

The "sap" is either dark brown or black

Since I've started this method of watermelon selection, I think I've only chosen ONE that was not satisfactory. About 90% of the time, the watermelon is super sweet with a delicious texture. I don't even really thump watermelons anymore, I just look for the black spots. Yes, black spots. sometimes very dark brown spots. My mom used to tell me to look for the rough brown patches on a watermelon because "that's where the bees kissed it," but I've taken it a step further. Not only do I look for brown patches, but within the brown patches I look for black sap. That's the sugar, I believe, coming out because the watermelon is so sweet. I'm including a picture below of what I mean. Try it and let me know if it works for you. Oh, and the watermelon in the pic is perfectly sweet and perfectly textured.