An easy and refreshing no-waste summer snack.
Watermelon Rind Pickles
Crystallized ginger, allspice berries and apple cider vinegar keep these things from becoming overly sweet or tart. Great as a side with grilled dishes or as a salad tossed with crispy, crumbled bacon and served over greens. Watermelon rind pickles are the finest thing you can do with a watermelon besides greasing it up and chasing it around the pool.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds watermelon rind, from a roughly 5-pound watermelon
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped candied or crystalized ginger
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flake
- 1 teaspoon allspice berries
- 1 star anise pod
Directions
- Using a sharp peeler, remove and discard the exterior green portion of the watermelon rind. You should now have rind that is mostly white, with a little bit of pink and/or red on one side. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Add the apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, ginger, salt, and spices to a 2-quart saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and hold for 1 minute, then carefully add the watermelon. Return to a boil and turn off the heat. Remove the pan from heat and cool for 30 minutes.
- Move the pickles to a 2-quart jar using a canning funnel and ladle. Pour on as much of the pickling juice as possible. Cover the jar and leave at room temperature for another 1 1/2 hours.
- Refrigerate overnight and consume within a month. These pickles must be refrigerated.
- Specialized Hardware needed: Canning funnel