When you’re new to juicing one melon looks just as good as the next. But once you develop the juicing habit, you’ll notice that some of your batches taste better than others. The culprit is the type of melons that you use. Veteran juicers know how to pick the best melons for juicing.

Melon Season

In today’s global market you can buy almost any type of melon at almost any time of year. But for the most flavorful juices with the highest vitamin content, you should concentrate your melon juicing during the season for the type of melon that you want to use. Buying in season means accessing melons from California, Arizona and Texas that come to you relatively fresh and full of vitamins.

Honeydew, cantaloupe and watermelon are the best melons for juicing in the U.S. because they’re available fresh and have sweet, crisp flavor and lots of juice. Honeydew melons are a late summer fruit and the prime season is between August and October. Cantaloupes are sweetest between June and September but are available until December. The watermelon season is longer, from April to November but the best time to buy is in the summer.

How to Pick a Melon

Thump the melon. Hold the melon close to your ear in one hand and thump it with the other. You are listening for a hollow “thunk” that means that the melon is ripe and full of juice, not hard and underripe.

Look at the color. Ripe honeydew melons vary in color from pale green to pale yellow. Avoid white honeydews. These are underripe. Watermelon skin should be green, striped and smooth. Avoid watermelons with overly shiny or overly dull skin. One side of the watermelon should be yellow or cream colored. Watermelons without these markings were harvested prematurely. Cantaloupes should have golden color. You can pick greener cantaloupes and leave them in a shady spot to develop golden color.

Next, feel the weight. A melon, no matter the species, should feel heavy for its size. While you hold it, look at the melon’s surface. Avoid buying melons with scars or other signs of damage or decay. Feel the surface of the melon. Avoid buying any melons with soft mushy spots. Honeydew melons should have a waxy, not fuzzy surface. Look for cantaloupes with tight netting on the skin.

The Best Place to Shop

The best places to shop for melons are farmer’s markets. What makes farmer’s markets the best? Melons from farmer’s markets are local. This means that they end up in the stall soon after they are picked from the plant. As soon as the melon leaves the plant the vitamin content begins to degrade. Head their early on market day and you can pick up a melon that was picked hours before it ended up in your basket. Look for organic melons and you won’t have to worry about chemicals on the surface of your fruit.

Use these techniques to pick the best melons for juicing and you’ll get the most out of your juicer and your favorite juicing recipes.