Old Fashioned Pickled Watermelon Rinds
Recipe Summary
I was amazed by the results! Crisp and crunchy watermelon rinds! These are not your sickly sweet watermelon rinds that grandma used to make. These are sugar free and fabulous.
The recipe is really simple, you just need to put the rinds of the watermelon into a fermentation vessel and cover with brine.
Seasonings can be added to your taste. I love a dash of cinnamon.
For information on how to assemble a simple fermentation vessel, see Food Fermentation Basics.
You can get ideas on how to make your own or simply click on a link to order one premade from Amazon.
Check out the recipe for Fermented Green Beans
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Ingredients
Watermelon rinds
I used two small baby melons from my garden to fill one quart jar. These were five to six inches in diameter.
probably the rind from one store bought sugar baby watermelon would do the trick. A regular sized melon will yield several quarts.
1 Tablespoon (18 grams) salt to one quart water. This is the brine you pour over. You won't need a quart of brine if you
are doing just a quart of melon, but you can save the extra in the fridge or make more.
¼ teaspoon cinnamon (more or less depending on your taste)
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Preparation
You can save the rinds from watermelon you have eaten or you can prepare the rinds from virgin melons.
If using new melons, first slice the watermelon in half or quarters and peel the green skin off with a knife.
Then slice the melon into 1 inch wide stripes. Laying each stripe on its side slice the rind away from the pink flesh. Reserve the flesh for eating later.
Pack the rinds into the quart jar sprinkling with a dash of cinnamon between layers. Keep pushing them down to make best use of the space.
The brine is made by adding the tablespoon of salt to one quart water. I warm the water on the stove so that the salt will
completely dissolve. If you forgot to add the cinnamon to the watermelon rinds as you were packing them
you can add it to the brine. This is a good alternative to get the cinnamon evenly mixed with the watermelon rinds.
Pour enough brine over the rinds to cover. Slide a butter knife into the jar at the sides and push the watermelon towards the center to
release trapped air. Repeat this all around the jar.
Put the cap with airlock on the jar. The airlock should be partially filled with water to ensure that air cannot get in, but released gases (carbon dioxide) can get out.
Put the jar in a warm place and let it sit. You can eat the pickled rinds as early as four or five days, but I've heard a longer ferment is better. My first batch set out for three weeks before I put them in the fridge for
casual eating.
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November 23. 2014
December 16, 2014
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