AUGUST 3rd International Watermelon Day
I love watermelon. I have yet to try a watermelon drink or food I didn’t like. My favorite is just watermelon and salt. Yum.
A close second is pickled watermelon rind. I don’t know why it’s good, I can’t explain it, it just is.
I thought I would share one of the recipes I modify & use.
I copied it from watermelon .org and you can find the complete post/recipe/pictures without my notes here – https://www.watermelon.org/recipes/watermelon-rind-pickles/
Ingredients
- 4 cups water (When I don’t boil I do half water/half vinegar.)
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt (I use a touch more, depending.)
- 2 cups peeled watermelon rind (leave a thin layer of pink), cut into 1 x 1/2 x 2-inch pieces
- ¾ cups granulated sugar (I don’t use this much and I use agave.)
- 1 all-spice berry (I omit this)
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- 4 peppercorns
- 4 whole cloves (I cut these down a few sometimes.)
- ½ teaspoon pickling spice
- 1 long slice of fresh ginger root (Depends on my mood.)
- ¼ teaspoon celery seeds
- In a large pot, bring water and salt to boil over medium-high heat. Add rind pieces and boil until tender, about 5 minutes. (I do not boil to tender. Sometimes not at all.) Strain, reserving liquid, and transfer rinds to a large glass or plastic bowl.
- In a saucepan, combine the reserved liquid with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 15 minutes, until slightly reduced. Pour over watermelon rinds in bowl. Place plate over top to keep rinds submerged in liquid. Cover and refrigerate for one day. Transfer to a glass jar and keep sealed in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Serving suggestion: enjoy with your favorite deli meats and cheeses, perhaps with other pickled veggies for a tasting party.
Do you have a favorite recipe for pickling watermelon rinds? I’d love to hear it.
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