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Watermelon rinds in a pickle
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More from FoodGet double use out of your watermelons this summer by turning their rinds into old-fashioned pickles. This recipe comes courtesy of "The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest: 150 Recipes for Freezing, Canning, Drying and Pickling Fruits and Vegetables" by Carol W. Costenbader (Storey Books, 2002, $18.95). You'll need a boiling water-bath canner and three 1-pint jars.
Watermelon Rind Pickles
3 tablespoons slaked lime (also known as pickling lime, available at health food stores)
2 quarts water
8 cups watermelon rind (about 1 large melon), peeled and cut into 1-inch squares
3 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups white distilled vinegar
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cinnamon sticks, each about 2 to 2 1/2 inches long
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon whole cloves
2 drops all-natural green food coloring (optional)
In a large glass or ceramic bowl, add the lime to the water. Soak the peeled watermelon rind in the lime solution for 8 hours.
Drain, then rinse well and drain again.
In a large saucepan, simmer the rind in clear water until tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make a syrup of the sugar, vinegar, lemon and spices (tied in a cheesecloth). Boil for 5 minutes in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the rind to the vinegar solution and cook until the rind is clear and thin, about 10 minutes.
Pack clean canning jars with the rind and pour the hot liquid/syrup over each one, leaving half an inch of headspace. Cap and seal.
Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath canner, per canning jar manufacturer's instructions.
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