On Saturday afternoon while slicing a watermelon I planned a proper Sunday lunch. Matching flavors or taste to create a menu was an interesting process. The fare was to include an eight-pound ham, a bowl of potato salad, 24 deviled eggs and a pot of collard greens.
As I carved the watermelon, I remembered a recipe my mom made from summers past pickling or preserving the rinds. Pickles are always top on my list, but a preserve was more in order for breakfast with the ham and biscuits or a lunch of Effie’s wheat crackers, Camembert and a slice of cold ham.
- Peel the rind from half a medium watermelon, and cut into 1 x 3-inch pieces.
- Dissolve a ½ cup of salt and two quarts of water in a Dutch oven. Submerge the rinds in salted water and set overnight.
- The next day I boil the rinds in the saline solution for about 15 minutes.
- Drain and rinse.
- Add rinds back into pot with two cups of water, ½ cup of lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, cloves and two cups of sugar.
- Bring to a medium – medium low boil for two hours, until the rinds are translucent.
- Place in fridge [for up to two months] or can in Mason jars.
- Add rinds back into pot with two cups of water, ½ cup of lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, cloves and two cups of sugar.
- Drain and rinse.
- The next day I boil the rinds in the saline solution for about 15 minutes.
- Dissolve a ½ cup of salt and two quarts of water in a Dutch oven. Submerge the rinds in salted water and set overnight.
Bon appétit,
Kathleen
Stylish Heath 