Summertime Watermelon Season Meets Zero Waste Kitchen
Trying to achieve a zero waste kitchen forces you to find some unconventional uses for items you would normally discard. In this case, watermelon rinds. I was introduced to these delicious Watermelon Rind Pickles a few years back at a family BBQ. I have been playing around with them every summer since. Unless you are one of the lucky few who with enough artistic ability to pull off some intricate watermelon carvings or baskets, these pickles are your next best option.
Setting the scene. It’s summer, and that means watermelon season. Watermelon is an amazing summer treat. When refrigerated it can provide a super refreshing snack to cool you down on a hot day. One of my favorite summertime drinks involves simply blending seedless watermelon with mint to achieve a perfect refreshing beverage. Check out my video here.
Unfortunately, one thing becomes pretty apparent as you are dismantling your watermelon. A lot of what you bought gets thrown away in the form of the rind. Watermelon rind pickles help to alleviate that issue. When raw, watermelon rind has almost no flavor on it’s own and is very hard and crunchy. Too hard to eat in an enjoyable manner. This recipe involves removing the tough skin entirely and then cooking the skinned rind in the liquid brine. These steps help remove some of the toughness and impart a fantastic flavor onto the watermelon!
That’s a Spicy… Watermelon Rind Pickle?
The spice mixes that I have listed here are ones that I have found enjoyable. Feel free to play around with what you have on hand. Want more spice? Kick up the chili flakes! Want more warmth? Ddd another cinnamon stick! Fancy a citrusy aspect? Add some orange juice and peel! Watermelon rinds are a blank canvas that soaks up the flavor of whatever you put them in. It pays to make the spice mix something you enjoy! Just make sure to keep the vinegar, sugar, and salt as these are what help make these rinds into quick pickles!
One final cooking note during the cooking process. When the rind is added to the brine, the longer you cook the rinds, the softer they will become. Cook the rinds long enough and they will begin to candy and the brine will thicken to a syrup. This is much the same as candied citrus peel. If you want to try these candied rinds, I recommend upping the sugar content to 1 cup. Also, cook for quite a bit longer than 10 minutes. I don’t have specifics but a candied citrus peel recipe might give some guidance.
If you are looking for other recipes that use warm spices check out my recipe for Swedish Cardamon Buns and Cinnamon Babka!
Try these out, the power is yours!
I have found these watermelon rind pickles to be a fantastic way to help get more out of your money and reduce food waste in the kitchen. I hope you give these a try and let me know what you think!
Watermelon Rind Pickles
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Medium Pot
- 2x 1 Qt Mason Jar
Ingredients
- Rind from a watermelon 5 pound watermelon approximately 2 pounds
- 1 cup vinegar really any type but apple cider vinegar was recommended to me
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 inch knob peeled and chopped ginger
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
- 1 star anise pod
- 1 stick cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel the skin off the watermelon rind leaving just the white part of the rind. You can use a vegetable peeler, but a knife is much easier. The green skin will be a bit tough and the red flesh will become too soft during the process.
- Cut watermelon rind into 1 inch long cubes/strips (depending on how thick the skin is).
- Excluding the watermelon rind, bring all ingredients to a boil in a medium pot. Add the watermelon rind and reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat, cover and keep on stove for 30 minutes.
- Transfer watermelon rind to the mason jar and pour liquid on top, leaving 1/2 inch of room at the top of the jar. Close the lid onto the jar and let cool to room temperature before moving to the refrigerator.
- These watermelon rinds will be ready to eat in a few hours but I find they are better after a few days in the fridge. Keep these pickles refrigerated and they will last for at least a month.