WATERMELON RIND PICKLES

Yep. You read it right. If you don't like watermelon or pickles then this isn't for you. The flesh of the watermelon is not used as you can tell by the title. I made these pickles about 12 years ago and really enjoyed them. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone else who shared my palate for this delicacy.

I enjoy the refreshing taste of watermelon. There's nothing like it on a hot day. I purchased two melons this summer. The first one was sweet. The second one, not so. Determined not to have my $5.00 go to waste, I decided on making watermelon pickles again. Only this time I'd make them in pint jars and just enough for me.

I used a different recipe than 12 years ago. Here's the recipe I used.

Here you see a very large blah watermelon covered in a plastic shower cap.

BTW I've been using the disposable shower caps to cover odd shaped foods. They're inexpensive and the elastic helps it mold to whatever you're using it for. It's a lot easier than trying to wrestle with cling wrap. I keep the caps in my pantry and they are dedicated to food ONLY!

What a disappointment. Not sweet at all. PROOF that, "Looks can be deceiving."

This recipe turned out to be more labor intensive than the one I used before.

Let's get started anyway.

1. Scoop out all of the pink flesh and either dispose of it or put it in your compost heap.
What you're looking at here is the flesh scooped out placed on top of the shower caps I'd used to cover them. All of that is inside a doubled plastic bag for which I plan to discard on garbage day.
2. After scooping and scraping the flesh you have this white rind.
I cut it into smaller manageable pieces because now I've got to cut the dark green peeling from the other side. It's easier to use a potato peeler instead of a knife.

I used food service gloves throughout the prep stage. I had no idea watermelon could stain. That was a "Duh" moment!

I placed the salt and water over the rind, covered it and put it in the fridge. WHEW! That's enough for today.

DAY 2

3. I drain the salt water and rinse the rind two times. I cut it into two inch pieces. (You can cut it into whatever size you want. I should have cut it smaller since I was using pint jars).

4. Place the rind in a large container, cover with the vinegar, sugar, spices and water (read the recipe and you'll know how much to use.) and boil until just tender, not mushy.

Finished again for the day. Put these little buddies back in the fridge.

BTW I stored them with the spice bag inside. Hoping that the flavor will be intense!

DAY 3

I hope you slept well. I surely did.

Meantime, back in the kitchen our trusty homemaker continues to parlay her pickles.

I bought a dozen pint jars from Fred's which will have to be 5. washed and

sterilized.

I placed a clean dish towel in the bottom of the roaster pan to try to prevent the glasses from bumping together during sterilization. I don't own a water bath canner so I'm making do.

6. You can't see it here but I reheated the pickles to boiling and also the jars and bands. Everything has to be hot as 3rd floor hell when you pack it. I used tongs to remove the jars, a ladle to fill the jars, tongs to dip the lid for a few seconds to sterilize and tongs to remove the bands from the water and screw on to the jar. I used a clean rag to wipe the mouth of the jar and a dry dishcloth to screw on the band. (You didn't really think I use my naked hand did you?)
7. I returned the the jars to the water bath to process for ten minutes with the lid of the roaster on.

You'll notice there's one jar that I'm recycling along with its lid from which I had purchased pesto in. This is considered a canning no-no but well I like to try things.
FINI
Well here we are all finished. I let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours and then I store them in a cool dark place.

Just so you know I also used two quart jars .

I'll look forward to eating these alongside my greens. They'll go nicely on a sandwich, or with cheese. The possibilities are endless.

I guess it'll be another 12 years before I do this again. As you can see it's a lot of work.

THAT'S IT***