Pickled Watermelon Rinds

When I was little my mother would make us wear our bathing suits and go out on in the backyard to eat watermelon. That way she could hose off the copious quantities of juice that had run down our arms and legs, which always quickly turned into sticky-pink-brown-watermelon-dirt-gunk. I won't lie, it was not beneath me to lick said mixture from my fingers and forearms.

To this day, I am a messy watermelon-on-the-rind eater. I sit in my Adirondack chair in my backyard and, with knees apart, I lean forward to bite into my wedge of melon, juices running down my arms like I'm six again. I do manage to avoid being hosed off by Barnaby. Grin.

Being Pacific Northwesterners, we had never saved the rinds for pickling as they do in the South, we just tossed them into the garbage. Who knew!? I was well into adulthood when I had my first pickled watermelon rind, and I am hooked. I was expecting a salty pickle flavor, but what I discovered was more like a soft, sweet and sour pickle.

For all you Yankees who have never had pickled watermelon rinds, give them a try. Your future is about to get sweeter. Depending on where you live you can get them in supermarkets or gourmet food stores (as we did). You can also purchase them on Amazon.com. If you'd like your own home-made batch, try this recipe.

Pickled Watermelon Rind
I prefer pickled rinds without any added food coloring, but many recipes call for either green or red.

• watermelon rind, 4 quarts of 1-inch chunks
• 3 quarts water
• 3/4 cup salt
• 1 quart white or cider vinegar
• 8 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole cloves
• 10 to 12 3-inch cinnamon sticks, broken into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

Remove green skin and remaining pink from watermelon rind, then cut into 1-inch chunks to measure 4 quarts. Place rinds in a non-metal bowl and add the water and salt. You may need to add more water in order to completely cover the rinds. Cover and soak overnight in refrigerator.

Drain and cover with clear water, then transfer to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for 30 minutes; drain and set aside. In the same large saucepan, pour vinegar; add sugar. Tie spices in a cheesecloth bag and add to vinegar mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Add the drained watermelon rind. Boil gently until rind is transparent and syrup is slightly thickened, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Remove spices and spoon into hot sterilized 1-pint jars, leaving about 1/2-inch head space, and seal. Process jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Makes about 4 pints.