Pickled Watermelon Rinds (2 Ways)
During the summertime, we eat a LOT of watermelon. It’s sweet, cold, refreshing and healthy. I’ve never payed much attention the rind, it just gets cut off and tossed. This time, I decided to pretend that I was Southern and get pickling! I couldn’t pick just one type of pickling so I picked a couple pickling possibilities. These pickled watermelon rinds can be added to salads, relish trays or on the side of ribs or BBQ pulled pork.
Spiced Ginger Ingredients:
2 pounds watermelon rind
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup crystalized ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
Traditional Pickling Ingredients:
2 pounds watermelon rind
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp pickling seasoning
Directions for both:
Slice watermelon 1 inch thick. Cut away all but ¼ inch of flesh from each slice; Cut rind into 1 inch pieces.
Using a vegetable peeler, (this one’s my favorite) remove tough green rind from watermelon; discard.
In a 2-quart saucepan, bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and spices to a boil over medium-high heat. Then carefully add the watermelon rinds. Return to a boil and cook for 1 minute then turn off the heat. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 30 minutes.
Move the pickled watermelon rinds to jars using a canning funnel and ladle. Pour on the pickling juice. Cover the jar and leave at room temperature for one and half hours or until jars are at room temperature.
Refrigerate for 24 hours before eating. These will keep for about a month in the refrigerator.
These look fabulous! I can’t wait to try them on our next trip to the ranch!
They’re pretty tasty and have huge health benefits!