Hello again. Its Nona again, the food lover-gone-WeightWatcher on a mission to find healthy yet tasty dishes.

One of the best parts of WeightWatchers is that, on the flex plan, no food is really off limits. You just have to account for what you eat, and you quickly learn to get the most food for your daily points ration, it’s best to find lower calorie foods that are higher in fiber and lower in fat.

For a dessert lover like me, that means a small portion of something sinful, or a heartier portion of something less decadent.

With that in mind, I am thinking a nice melon salad would be a great dessert this weekend. Satisfies the sweet tooth and I get a lot of food for relatively few points.

It’s still a little early for most melons in this region, but I did pick up a nice mini-watermelon and a very sweet cantaloupe last week at Kroger. Have you ever observed people as they shop for melons? Some are thumpers, some are bouncers, some are smellers. Seems like everyone has a different idea on how to select the best melon.

I usually go by the “does it feel heavy for its size” guide. That means I pick it up and handle it for a few seconds, kind of bouncing it in my hands. This usually works for me but you do have to pick up several melons until you find one that feels right.

Other ways to judge the worthiness of a melon include looking at the field spot, the point in which the melon rested in the field as it grew. This spot should be yellow on a green-skinned melon. I have observed people sniffing this spot. Their noses must be more sensitive than mine, because I get nothing from that experiment.

I am venturing out at lunch to the Farmer’s Market. If anyone there is selling melons, I will see what they recommend for choosing the freshest and ripest in the bunch.

What tips do you use for spotting the best melons or other fresh produce?