Watermelon Rind Pickles
This recipe encapsulates summer perfectly! If you want to make sure you use all parts of your melons this year, and have an extra yummy treat, these watermelon rind pickles are perfect!
The process for making these pickles takes some patience, I won’t lie, though a lot of it is hands off, while the rinds marinate in a salt water solution. This solution both helps tenderize the tough rind, and desiccates the rind, leaving you with a pickle that doesn’t get mushy, even after it’s been cooked.
Why you’ll love this recipe
If you’re mindful of leaving as little waste as possible, I know you already love this recipe.
But you’ll also love the vinegary zing mixed with sweet and aromatic flavors. Pickled watermelon rind can be used in many ways such as added to an appetizer place or charcuterie board, or used on sandwiches or salads.
Ingredients for pickling watermelon rind
- Watermelon – you will use a pretty standard size melon for this recipes – about 7-8 pounds.
- Salt – pickling or canning salt, or any salt with no additives such as iodine.
- Vinegar – for flavor and preservation
- Sugar – to offset the potency of the vinegar
- Cinnamon and Cloves – For flavor. You can adjust these as desired. Some folks prefer to completely omit the cloves.
Tips for making watermelon rind pickles
Before peeling rind, trim out the watermelon flesh. Some people like to leave a little red flesh on the rind (as I did), because it looks nice. But some feel it’s too soft, and prefer to leave the white/green only.
I found it easiest to cut the watermelon first, and peel afterward. The outside rind is fairly tough, and more manageable when cut down into smaller pieces.
As shown, it works really well to layer watermelon and salt in a jar for brining. Since the jar is taller, it takes less horizontal space in your refrigerator, and it makes sure that most or all of your rind is submerged.
However, you may also need or want to weight down the rind, perhaps with a bowl that fits into your jar, to keep it all under.
How to make pickled watermelon rind
- Cut and peel the outer green peel from the watermelon rind. You will want to cut the rind into bite-sized chunks, and peel the tough outer rind off. I found this easiest to do using a sharp pairing knife, rather than a vegetable peeler. But try both ways and see which one works best for you.
- Layer prepared rind with salt, and cover with water.
- Let soak overnight in the refrigerator.
- Drain and rinse watermelon rind, then place in a large pot (4 quarts or larger), and cover with fresh water.
- Heat pan over medium heat and bring watermelon rind to a simmer.
- Simmer until the rind is tender enough to stick a fork through, but not mash.
- Drain.
- In the pot, Combine water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, and add watermelon rind.
- Continue to simmer until rind is translucent.
- Remove and discard spices if desired
- Use a slotted spoon to pack watermelons rind to canning jars.
- Ladle hot pickling liquid over rinds to cover completely, while leaving a 3/4 inch headspace.
- Wipe rims of jars with a clean, soft towel.
- Screw down lids and bands firmly.
- Process in a waterbacth canner for 10 minutes for half pints, or 15 minutes for pints.
To process in water bath canner
- Prepare canner by adding rack to bottom, and filling 3/4 full of water. If packing hot pickles, use hot water, if packing cold pickles, use cool water.
- Add jars to canner, and add water if necessary to cover jars, to at least 1 inch depth over tops of jars.
- Place lid on canner, and heat over medium-high heat to a full rolling boil.
- Start process time after boils is reached.
- After process time, remove from heat, and let cool. You can remove jars from water while they’re still hot, but I recommend letting them cool at least somewhat to reduce chance of breakage.
- If removing from water bath while hot, cover with a towel to protect from drafts.
- Let rest for 24 hours, after which you may check for seal, and store in a cool place out of direct light.
Other recipes you’ll enjoy:
- How to make watermelon jelly
- Dandelion jelly recipe
- Carrot cake jam
- How to make pickled jalapeños
- Jalapeño jelly recipe
Watermelon Rind Pickles
Sweet and cinnamony pickling brine with tender watermelon rind.
Ingredients
- Rind from one 8 pound watermelon
- 1 cup non-iodized salt
- 8 cups water
- 6 cups sugar
- 4 cups white vinegar
- 8 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
Canning equipment:
Instructions
- Cut rind into bite sized pieces, and trim tough, outer green rind from watermelon. (I found a paring knife to work best for this, rather than a potato peeler)
- Layer rind in a large bowl or jars with salt. Don’t worry about getting the right distribution, just put a layer of rind in, and top with a big sprinkle of salt, and repeat.
- Cover with water. You may need to weigh watermelon down to keep it from floating.
- Let refrigerate overnight, or at least 12 hours.
- When ready to pickle, Drain and rinse watermelon rind, then add to a large pot and cover with fresh water
- Heat to a simmer, and simmer until rind is just tender
- Remove from heat and drain
- In another large pan (at least 4 quarts), combine sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, and cloves.
- Heat, stirring until sugar dissolves
- Add watermelon rind, and bring to a simmer
- Cook until rind is translucent.
To can:
- Remove cinnamon sticks (you can add them to the jars if you want), and use a slotted spoon to pack watermelon rind into sanitized canning jars, leaving 3/4 inch headspace.
- Ladle the pickling brine over the rind, leaving a 1/2 inch of headspace in the jar.
- Use a soft cloth, or damp paper towel to remove any debris from jar rims, and screw down lids and rings.
- Prepare your water bath canner by adding inner rack, and filling with hot water.
- Lower jars into water, using jar tongs if needed to protect your fingers from the hot water.
- Make sure jars do not touch each other inside the canner.
- Cover with additional hot water if needed to make sure the jars have at least an inch of water over them.
- Place lid on the canner, and heat over medium-high heat to a rolling boil.
- Boil (process) pint jars for 15 minutes, or half pint jars for 10 minutes
- Remove from heat and let cool until cool enough to handle
- Remove from canner, and let rest 24 hours
- Check for seal, wash jar if needed, and store out of direct light.
Just finished a jar I got from an Amish market in Amish country. SO good!!! Reminds me of bread and butter pickles
fostering friendly competition among friends
This made me smile from ear to ear!
encouraging friends to compete in a nice way
Who knew watermelon rinds could taste so good? I once tried to save scraps from the kitchen and experimented with pickling, only to end up with a surprisingly delicious result. The idea of turning something usually thrown away into a treat is inspiring. Sharing this discovery on Geometry Dash made me think of all the overlooked possibilities in everyday life.
I once tried to save scraps from the kitchen and experimented with pickling, only to end up with a surprisingly delicious result. The idea of turning something usually thrown away into a treat is inspiring. Sharing this discovery on Geometry Dash made me think of all the overlooked possibilities in everyday life.
What a creative way to reduce waste and enjoy a unique summer treat! I love the idea of adding these pickles to a charcuterie board. Have you tried experimenting with other spices for variation?
What a delightful way to reduce waste and enjoy summer flavors! Have you tried adding different spices to the pickling process? I’d love to hear how it turns out!