Cantaloupe is one of summer’s most rewarding fruits. At its best, it’s candy-sweet and impossibly juicy—good enough to eat on its own, maybe with a pinch of salt. The trick is knowing how to tell if a cantaloupe is ripe before you slice into it.

Unlike berries or stone fruit, melon doesn’t advertise its ripeness as clearly. Most people pick one up, give it a squeeze, and hope for the best. Then they get home and make a lackluster Cantaloupe Salad With Bacon-Cashew Crumble . But it needn’t be so. It’s easy to choose a good cantaloupe, whether you’re at a tiny farmers market or a major grocery store; you just have to focus on four things: how it looks, feels, smells, and sounds.

1. Consider its color and stem

A cantaloupe’s raised webbing can be misleading, so look at the skin beneath it. You’re aiming for warm golden or beige tones —think tan, sandy, or pale yellow. If there’s still a green cast, the melon isn’t ripe yet.…