Watermelon Pickles

By susan King M (Guest Post)

Can someone tell me the freezer method? My gram in Bay St Louis made them and I would like to make them for my kids. Thank you.

By Darlene in Mississauga (Guest Post)

Pickled Watermelon Rind

5 lbs. watermelon rind
2-1/2 lbs. sugar (2 cups = 1 lb.)
2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup salt
2 qt. water
2 cups water
3/4 tsp. oil of cloves
3/4 tsp. oil of cinnamon

Pare the rind and cut into 2 pieces. Mix salt and water and soak rind overnight. Drain and rinse in clear water. Drain again.

Cook in fresh water until tender but not soft; drain.

Combine sugar, vinegar, 2 cups water, and spices. Bring the syrup to a boil and pour over the rind.

Let stand overnight.

In the morning, drain off the syrup and cook for several minutes. Repeat for 3 days.

On the last day, cook syrup and rind together for 3 minutes.

Bottle in sterile screw/snap lid jars

If oil of spices is used, fruit remains clear.

Makes 6 pints

By T. (Guest Post)

Hi, I got this from "Living on a dime" newsletter, This is the first time I have heard of them nor have not tried this. Maybe it is what you are looking for:
3 pounds white portion watermelon rind, cubed
5 cups sugar
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. whole cloves
1 Tbsp. whole allspice
3 cinnamon sticks, 3 inches each
1 lemon, sliced

Put watermelon cubes in a large pot with enough salted water to cover. Soak overnight. Drain. Cover with fresh, cold water and bring to a boil. Cook over low heat until tender. Drain. In another large pot, combine sugar, vinegar and water. Tie cloves, allspice, cinnamon and lemon in a cheesecloth bag. Add to sugar mixture and stir over medium heat until mixture boils. Boil 5 minutes. Add watermelon cubes and simmer until translucent, about 15 minutes. Remove spice bag and pack pickles in hot, sterilized jars. Refrigerate 2 weeks before using.

Good luck!
Hope that helped!

By

mygaley

Here in the south, we make sweet watermelon preserves. If this is what you want, keep your rinds refrigerated until ready to use. Cut your watermelon rind into 2" wide strips crosswise and remove the green peel by laying it on its side so you are cutting down on it. Remove 99.9% of the pink flesh. Cut the prepared strips into 2" squares and place in a stainless steel roaster. (If you like lemon (I don't) add a sliced unpeeled lemon now.) If you are using a large watermelon you will need the roaster volume, plus the area to evaporate the syrup quickly. Use a fresh bag of sugar from the store (less humidity) and liberally cover the rind with the sugar; pour it on until you have about a 1" layer of just sugar. Add about 1 TBLS white karo syrup. Refrigerate overnight. The next morning the sugar will be juice; bring to a fast boil and allow to cook quickly until rind is clear and syrup thickens somewhat. The syrup will never be thick, so watch for when the rind is done. If syrup is brownish, you have cooked it too long; it doesn't ruin the flavor but you will not win prizes at the fair. lol. Ladle the rind pieces into sterilized canning jars. If you need instructions for this, get the Ball Blue Book of Canning. Pour in enough syrup to completely cover the rinds plus about 1/4". Seal jars. You can hot-water process them, but I never do. You will realize about 4-5 pints from a large melon. This is a lot of work for that amount of product, but my grown children say "this is what they eat in heaven".

If you want the kind made with vinegar, refer to the Ball Blue Book.