Fantabulously Easy Yummy Crispy Watermelon Pickles Recipes

WATERMELON PICKLES

Steps:

• Stir canning salt into 1 gallon water in a large container until dissolved; add watermelon rind. Cover the container with plastic wrap or a lid and let sit 12 hours. Drain and rinse completely.
• Combine drained watermelon rind and 1 gallon water in a stock pot. Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the rind is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour; drain and set aside.
• Put cinnamon sticks, allspice, and cloves in cheesecloth or spice bag. Combine vinegar, sugar, spice bag, maraschino cherries, and lemon slices in the stock pot; stir until sugar is dissolved. Add watermelon rind to the pot; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the rind is transparent, about 5-10 minutes. Remove the spice bag and set aside.
• Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Put one whole clove into each jar. Break cinnamon sticks into pieces and put 1 piece into each jar.
• Pack the watermelon rind with the vinegar mixture into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and lower jars into the boiling water using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary to bring the water level to at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a rolling boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.

WATERMELON PICKLES

Steps:

• Slice the outer green and inner pink part of the rind.
• Place in a large glass bowl and cover with a brine made from the 3/4 cup salt and 3 quarts water.
• Cover with ice and let stand 6-7 hours.
• Drain, rinse and drain again.
• In a large pot add the rind and just cover with cold water.
• Cook until JUST tender-around 10 minutes.
• Dont overcook.
• Drain.
• Tie spices in a spice bag.
• Combine sugar, vinegar, 3 cups water and spice bag and boil 5 minutes.
• Remove spice bag-reserve.
• Pour syrup over rinds and add lemon slices.
• Let stand overnight at room temp.
• Heat rind and lemon in syrup and boil.
• Cook until rind is translucent-around 10 minutes.
• Pack hot into clean hot jars.
• Add 1 piece of cinnamon from the spice bag to each jar.
• Cover with boiling syrup leaving 1/2 inch head space.
• Process in a boiling water bath at altitudes up to 1000 feet.

FANTABULOUSLY EASY YUMMY CRISPY WATERMELON PICKLES

Steps:

• ZAAR would not let me enter the watermelon rind no matter how I tried so it is the rind of two ten to twelve pound seedless watermelons. Ugh I am so frustrated!
• DAY ONE: Wash and carve watermelon and cut rind into one inch squares. Make sure you peel the rind carefully with a veggie peeler because there is nothing nastier than choking on an unpeeled piece of rind. Mix salt into the water in a large non-reactive pot and add the watermelon rind. Cover and let stand 24 hours.
• DAY TWO: Drain watermelon rind and rinse well. Wash the pot and add the watermelon rind and a gallon of filtered water and lots of ice, at least 4 cups and let stand for two hours. Drain again and pick out the ice. Return the watermelon rind to the pot and cover with boiling water and cook until tender enough to pierce with a wooden skewer, about ten to 12 minutes and then drain well. While the rind is draining wash the pot and prepare the syrup. Put the spices in a spice bag or tea infuser or else you will have to fish all of it out later on. In your rinsed pot, combine the vinegar, sugar, spice bag, juice and rind of the lemon and bring to a boil. Add the rind to the syrup and cook ON LOW until the rind is transparent. This can take a while so keep checking for that transparency. When the rind looks transparent put the lid on the pot and take off the heat. Don't touch it for 24 hours. If you like less spice you can remove the spice bag at this time. I leave it in for the full 24 hours.
• DAY THREE: Remove the pickles and let them drain back into the pot. Reserve the syrup and bring to a boil. Pack the pickles into (about) 6 sterile pint jars and pour the boiling syrup over the pickles, evenly between the six jars to about 1/4 inch from the top. Cap and adjust bands and process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes from the time the water returns to the boil. Ball Blue Book suggests ten minutes but my old recipe was 5 minutes. I think the 5 minute bath is a crispier pickle and I have to tell you I have never, in the past 35 years, had a jar explode in the pantry, but use the processing time you feel comfy with.
• DAY SIXTY: Pickles are ready. OK, I start eating them as soon as I hit day three -- So these pickles are made all summer long and enjoyed all year round.
• REALLY EASY METHOD: If you are not a canner you can cool the pickles on your counter and put the jars in your refrigerator and they will last one month.

QUICK-PICKLED WATERMELON

Steps:

• Add the rice wine vinegar, palm sugar, fish sauce and dried chiles to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Place the watermelon into a bowl over an ice bath. Once the liquid comes to a boil, pour over the watermelon and stir to combine until the mixture has cooled.
• Add to a platter of cheeses, meats, crackers, dried fruit, etc.

GRANDMA'S PICKLED WATERMELON RIND

Steps:

• Place watermelon rind in a glass bowl; add water to cover. Stir in pickling salt. Cover and refrigerate in the brine for 8 hours to overnight.
• Rinse watermelon rind 2 to 3 times to remove excess salt from the brine. Taste and keep rinsing until desired level of saltiness is achieved. Drain.
• Transfer watermelon rind to a large saucepan and cover with cold water; bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, inspect 2 quart-sized jars for cracks and rings for rust, discarding any defective ones. Immerse in simmering water until watermelon rind is ready. Wash new, unused lids and rings in warm soapy water.
• At the same time, combine sugar, 2 cups water, vinegar, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and maintain a low simmer for 10 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl; discard any solids.
• Drain watermelon rinds and pack into hot, sterilized jars. Ladle vinegar mixture into each jar, filling to within 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe rims with a moist paper towel to remove any residue. Top with lids and screw rings on tightly.
• Let jars cool to room temperature, 30 to 45 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.