Cooking web notes

Bubba's Pickled Watermelon Rind

Whatever you do, don’t throw away your watermelon rind this summer!

It may sound a little strange to make pickles out of watermelon rind but, it really might surprise you how delicious they are.  My mother used to make these every summer and recalling them, Bubba gave it a try and is now carrying on the tradition ~ lucky for me!  I love about anything pickled and these watermelon pickles are fantastic!

Here are some fun watermelon facts:

• The largest watermelon on record was raised in 2005 by the Bright family in Hope, Arkansas, weighing in at 268.8 pounds.

• Early explorers used watermelons as canteens.

• In Luling, Texas, 1989, the Guinness World Record for watermelon seed spitting was set at 68 feet, 9 and 1/8 inches by Lee Wheelis.  The record still stands.

• The first cookbook published in 1796 in America contained a recipe for watermelon rind pickles.

• A watermelon was once thrown at Roman Governor Demosthenes during a political debate.  Placing the watermelon on his head, he thanked the thrower for providing him with a helmet to wear as he fought Philip of Macedonia. 

Watermelon pickles are a tangy, sweet complement to grilled burgers, barbecued meat, hot dogs, chicken and seafood.  A 6 pound watermelon yields about two pounds of rind.  The pickles are very sweet and contain a great mix of spices, they even smell divine.  It may seem complicated to make them but, it’s not.  It takes a couple of days to make them and then they’re ready to relish. 

So with summer around the corner, remember not to pitch your watermelon rind.  Now, if I could only convince Bubba to try pickled eggs!

Bubba’s Watermelon Pickles

Ingredients:

1 watermelon
3/4 cup salt
5 cups sugar
3 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon whole cloves
6 cinnamon sticks (break to 1")
1 tablespoon allspice
1 lemon, sliced

Method:

Remove the rind from the watermelon, removing as much of the pink meat as possible and all of the green outer skin.
Cut the rind into small bite-sized pieces.
Make a brine of 3qts water and 3/4 cup salt.
Put the rind in a bowl, cover with the brine, and refrigerate at least 6 hrs

Drain and rinse the rind.  Put the rind in a pot, cover it with water, and boil it about 15 minutes until tender.  Drain and remove the rind.

Mix the rest of the ingredients with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.  Pour over the watermelon.  Refrigerate overnight.

Bring the watermelon and syrup to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium-high and cook for 1 hr, stirring periodically.

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To can them, put them straight from the pot into canning jars, leaving about a half inch open at the top.  Clean the jars off, put the lids on, and put in boiling water for 15 minutes.  Remove from pot.

Let the jars set at room temperature for 24 hours.  They do not need to be refrigerated unless you desire them chilled before serving.

Is it pickles or is it candy?  You’ll have to try it and decide for yourself as I don’t think you’ll find it in the stores.  

Way to go, Bubba!  They’re delicious!

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 5:17 AM and is filed under Bubba's recipes, Condiments/Pickles/Relishes, Fruit, Lemons, Watermelon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.