Do you ever make watermelon rind pickles? I just love these, and it’s a nice way to use up something that you might just throw away. There are a couple of different ways to make them, but the ones I love are with the “red hots” candy. (Again, I apologize if this has already been posted).
A nice recipe and pictorial here (but without the red hots): http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1488/
and here’s someone’s request for a recipe and the response:
I need a recipe for Canned Watermelon Rind with red hots (candy). I ate these as a child at Christmas but no one can find my grandmother’s recipe.
Deborah from Bartlett, TN
Answers:
RE: Canned Watermelon Rind
Hi Deborah!! I found this recipe while surfing (I’ve never made them myself). http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1636,146171-243195,00.html
WATERMELON RIND PICKLES
1 watermelon (14 c.)
1 gal. water
1/4 c. slaked lime
3 c. white vinegar
7 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. oil of cloves
1/2 tsp. oil of cinnamon
1/2 c. red cinnamon candies
4 drops red food coloring
Stainless steel or enamel cookware
Select a melon that has a thick rind. Remove outer green skin and pink flesh. Use only the greenish- white parts of the rind. Cut enough rind into 1 inch cubes (my note: the ones I have had are in thick strips) to make 14 cups. Combine water and lime. Add rind and soak overnight in refrigerator. Drain cubes and rinse in cold water. Bring to a boil and cook 30 minutes. Drain.
Combine vinegar, sugar, oil of cloves, cinnamon, food color and candies. Pour over cubes. Boil slowly until cubes look clear, about 1 hour or longer, being sure cubes are covered with syrup through out cooking. Add hot water if syrup cooks down. Pack pickles in hot jars. Cover with syrup. Seal. Makes 7 pints. Use stainless steel containers or enamel to cook in and soak in.
(09/22/2006)
By Luvyabye
RE: Canned Watermelon Rind
Candied Watermelon Rinds
Serves/Makes:5 or more 1/2 pints
Ingredients
6 cups (1425 ml) water
9 cups (2125 ml) cubed watermelon rind - about 1”
4 cups (950 ml) sugar
1 cup (225 ml) white vinegar
cinnamon sticks
whole cloves
Preparation
First day:
Heat water to boiling in large kettle.
Add rind; simmer till tender(about 10 minutes).
Drain rind thoroughly,and put into crock (or glass bowl).
Combine remaining ingredients in kettle.
Heat to boiling; stir till sugar is melted.
Pour hot syrup over rind.
Cool.
Cover.
Let stand overnight.
DAY 2:
Drain rind; reserving syrup.
Heat syrup to boiling.
Pour over rind.
Cool.
Cover.
Let stand overnight.
DAY 3:
Repeat day 2
Final day:
Prepare jars and water bath.
Heat rind and syrup to boiling but do not boil.
At this point Grandma always added red or green food coloring.
Fill jars and process.
Cool and store.
Comments: I’m sure that this is not what you are looking for. But if you have rind and the time these are great pickles. It has become a tradition with my grand kids,as it was for me when I was a child to “help” Granny make these pickles for the holidays!
(09/24/2006)
By LRP
>>>Do you ever make watermelon rind pickles?<<<
Yum, I have made some about 10 or 12 years ago, but haven’t since. This year, I planted more watermelons than I usually do, and looks like there will probably be 50 or so 25 - 30 # mellons. So, I was looking for recipes for watermelon rind pickles. (I could eat maybe a dozen myself, but will need something to do with all that rind.)
Thank you for posting those - the Red Hots sound great - I will have to make a case or two for grand kids and daughter.(All are Red Hots fans.)
Then I am going to have to figure out what to do with about 500 35-40# pumpkins..... Yep, I got carried away there... My hybrid poplars are in 300’ rows about 10’ apart, and I just planted the in between area till I ran out of seed... (yes, I always over-order seeds) At least the chickens will finally get their fill, and I should have all the pies and pumpkin seeds I can eat, along with pumpkin bread, puree of pumpkin, etc. I plan to try storing a couple hundred in a straw bale enclosed above ground root cellar with lots of loose straw on top. No way could I put that many in my regular root cellar. So, everyone - I am looking for lots of pumpkin recipes!
There are a couple of different ways to make them, but the ones I love are with the “red hots” candy. (Again, I apologize if this has already been posted).<<<
Thanks for the recipes, several will and should use them.
Do not worry about posting something that is already posted, we all do.
Sometimes, I do, so it will be fresh on the list, or because I think the new readers will want it..........Or I forgot how many times that I had posted it before.
LOL, I do hope that no one is reading the list looking for goofs, for they will be far too busy catching them, to enjoy the thread.
We pick up new readers almost every day, few will ever read the entire set of 20,000 posts.
If it interests you, it will be of interest to someone else.
I got looking and found one with the Red Hots - sure looks like a larger quantity version of your first recipe using the slaked lime. But it does add 1/2 cup of Red Hots.
Watermelon Rind Pickles
Ingredients:
15 Cups Of Cubed Watermelon Rind
3 Cups Of Heinz Distilled White Vinegar
1 Gallon Of Bottled Water
1/4 Cup Of Slaked Lime Or Calcium Hydroxide
1/4 Teaspoon Of Cinnamon Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Of Clove Oil
7 Cups Of C&H Pure Cane White Sugar
1 Teaspoon Of Red Food Coloring
1/2 Cup Of Red Hots Cinnamon Candies
Information:
Serving Size 60
125 Calories Per Serving
1 Grams Of Fat
Preparation Instructions:
To begin this watermelon rind pickles recipe, you will first need to cube roughly fifteen cups of fresh white watermelon rind. Obviously you will want to save the pink watermelon flesh for consumption. When preparing your rind, it is important that you trim off all of the green outer skin. Next take out a large pot, and then add in the water, slaked lime, and prepared watermelon rind. Soak these ingredients overnight inside of your refrigerator. The next morning you will want to drain all the water from the pot, and then rinse your watermelon rind in a metal strainer under cool running tap water. Make sure you rinse the rind very thoroughly. Once you are done, place the rind back into a fresh pot, cover them with fresh water, and then bring these ingredients to a boil over medium high heat. Cook the watermelon rind for half an hour, then drain the pot. Next take out a large mixing bowl, and add in the distilled white vinegar, white sugar, cinnamon oil, clove oil, red food coloring, and Red Hots cinnamon candies. Using a metal whisk rapidly stir these ingredients until you have an even mixture. Moving along, next pour this vinegar mixture over the drained watermelon rind still in the cooking pot. Place the pot back onto the stove, and bring this new batch of ingredients to a boil. Cook the watermelon rind until it’s transparent and tender, which should take roughly an hour to achieve. You will want to cover the pot with a lid during this process. Do keep a close eye on it, and if you notice at any point that it looks like it needs more moisture, add a little bit of water to prevent it from burning. Finally with your watermelon rind cooked, pack them in sterilized pickle jars, and cover them in the fresh cooked hot syrup. Seal and process the jars in boiling water. That concludes this recipe, please be sure to explore our many other unique and delicious watermelon rind based recipes.
http://www.watermelonrind.com/watermelon-rind-pickles-recipe.html