Sweet and tangy watermelon rind pickles that turn kitchen scraps into something special. This traditional recipe takes two days but most of it is hands-off soaking time. Makes 6-7 half-pints.
Prep fruit. Remove pink flesh and green skin from watermelon, leaving only white rind. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
Make brine. Dissolve canning salt in 8 cups water, add rind, cover and refrigerate 12 hours.
Day 2
Prep canning equipment.Prepare canning jars by washing and keeping hot in water bath canner. Drain and rinse rind well.
Cook rind. Place rind in large pot with 8 cups fresh water. Simmer until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well.
Make syrup. Tie spices in cheesecloth. In large pot, combine spice bag, sugar, lemon slices, and vinegar. Bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer 10 minutes.
Final cook. Add cooked rind to syrup. Simmer until rind looks mostly translucent, about 10 minutes. Remove spice bag.
Fill jars. Ladle rind and syrup into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add pickle crisp if using. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, apply lids and rings fingertip tight.
Process. Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes. Turn off heat, let rest 5 minutes, then remove to towel-lined surface. Cool 12-24 hours before checking seals.
Notes
Properly sealed jars keep 12-18 months in cool, dark place.Once opened, refrigerate and use within 2 weeks.For refrigerator pickles only, skip canning process and store completed pickles in fridge up to 1-3 months.Adjust processing time for altitude: add 5 minutes at 1,001-6,000 ft, 10 minutes above 6,000 ft.Nutrition info is for ¼ of a jar.