How to Pick the Perfect Ripe Watermelon Every Time

Pick The Ugliest Watermelon. Really!

That worried little melon face? Don't be that person. I've been standing in front of produce bins for years, and I can tell you with confidence: picking a ripe watermelon is not a mystery if you know what to look for. You don't need tricks or superstitions. You need facts.

The difference between a mouth-watering, crisp watermelon and a mealy, flavorless dud comes down to three things: the field spot, the weight, and the skin. Master those, and you'll never bring home a bad melon again.

Rodney Scott Is Still at the Pit — Just Not Where You'd Expect

Food & Industry

If you've been following the Rodney Scott story, you already know about the restaurant collapse. I covered it here — so I won't rehash all of that. The short version: his business partner's restaurant group imploded in May 2026, and Rodney found out his locations were closing while he was working an event at the Kentucky Derby. That's a rough way to get the news.

But here's the thing about people who have been cooking since they were eleven years old — they don't stop cooking.

Dirt Fresh: Your Guide to Local Food in the Rocket City

I'll be honest — I didn't set out to write a guide. I just got curious.

I've always cared where food comes from. But somewhere along the way I assumed that Huntsville and Madison were kind of limited on that front. A couple of farmers markets, maybe a farm stand out on 72, and that was about it. In all honesty that was years ago. So I started poking around and doing some research — and I was genuinely surprised at what I found.

There is a real local food ecosystem here now. Farmers markets in multiple parts of the city. U-pick operations running from April through October. CSA programs that will deliver a box to your door. An online marketplace that aggregates over thirty local farms into one storefront. It's not what I expected, and I wanted to put it all in one place — both for my own reference and for anyone else who's been eating local without knowing all their options.

C3: The Food Industry Has Lost the Plot — June 2026

The food industry spent the last stretch doing two things at once: launching products so bizarre they read like satire, and watching its own business models come apart under the pressure of the internet, labor costs, and a customer base that has run out of patience. Both stories are worth telling. Let's get into it.

Quick note before we start: a lot of what's circulating right now as "new" food news is actually 2023 and 2024 material being recycled for clicks. I went back to primary sources on everything in this post. Dates and details below are verified.

Something Broke in Food Service — And It Wasn't Just the Dishwasher

Why the restaurant industry is a dumpster fire — and why it's complicated.

So when I say the food service industry is in trouble right now — I'm not reading that off a press release. I'm living it. And so is everybody else who's ever tied on an apron for a paycheck.

Here's the thing, though. This isn't a simple story. It's not "workers are lazy now" and it's not "owners are greedy monsters." It's messier than that. It's a full-blown, multi-car pileup on the interstate and somehow every driver has a point about whose fault it is.

Let's talk about it. And yes — we're going to laugh a little. Because if you don't laugh, you cry, and then the health inspector shows up and asks why there's moisture near the equipment.