Watermelon Rind Pickles (Mom)
Submitted by wildflower_52
Mom’s old-fashioned watermelon rind pickles soaked in lime water, then simmered in sweet spiced vinegar syrup until jewel-like and translucent. A Southern heirloom canning recipe worth the wait.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
8 hrsCOOK
5 hrsREADY
13 hrsThis right here is the kind of recipe that gets passed down on stained index cards and guarded like family silver.
Mom’s watermelon rind pickles are a labor of love, no two ways about it. The rinds soak in lime water to firm them up, then get simmered in a sweet vinegar syrup spiced with whole cloves, allspice, cinnamon sticks, and fresh ginger until they turn glassy and translucent like little edible gemstones.
The process takes a couple of days from start to finish, with an overnight rest in the syrup that builds layers of tangy-sweet-spiced flavor you simply cannot rush.
But once those jars are sealed and put up for a month? Pure liquid gold on a cheese board, alongside roast pork, or straight from the jar when nobody’s looking.
Kitchen Tips
- Slaked lime (pickling lime / calcium hydroxide) is what gives the rinds their signature crisp snap. Don’t skip it and don’t substitute.
- Rinse the rinds thoroughly after the lime soak. Any residual lime will throw off the flavor and can affect the final texture.
- Tie the spices in cheesecloth so they’re easy to fish out. Loose cloves hiding in your pickle jar are no fun to bite into.
- The syrup should be about as thick as honey when you’re ready to jar. If the rinds aren’t transparent yet but the syrup is too thick, add a splash of hot water.
- Wait the full month before cracking open a jar. Patience is the secret ingredient here.
Ingredients
Directions
Peel watermelon, removing all green and pink flesh; cut rind into cubes and measure a gallon.
Heat a large pot of boiling water; drop rind in and boil for 5 minutes.
Drain and cool.
Dissolve slaked lime in 2 quarts cold water.
Pour over rind; let stand for 4 hours.
Drain and rinse thoroughly.
Cover rind with cold water and bring to boil; boil until rind is tender and drain.
Combine 4½ cups sugar, 2 cups vinegar and 8 cups water.
Add allspice, cloves, cinnamon and ginger root (all tied in a cheesecloth bag).
Bring to boil; boil for 5 minutes.
Add rind and return to boil.
Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Leave rind standing in syrup in cool place between 12 and 24 hours.
Add 6 cups vinegar and 6 to 8 cups sugar (to taste); bring to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until rind is transparent and syrup is almost as thick as honey.
If syrup gets too thick before rind becomes transparent, add ½ cup hot water, a little at a time, as needed.
Discard bag.
Pack boiling rind and syrup into hot jars and seal.
Store at least a month before serving.
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