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–+ servings

Watermelon Rind Pickles

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 Time:45 minutes
Cook Time:30 minutes
hours rest time:12 minutes
Total Time:13 hours 45 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 Water Bath Canner
  • 6-7 half-pint canning jars with lids and rings
  • 1 Large pot
  • 1 cheesecloth or spice bag

Ingredients

Brining Rind

  • 8 cups watermelon rind peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 medium watermelon)
  • ½ cup canning salt
  • 8 cups water

Cooking Rinds

  • 8 cups fresh water

Syrup

  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • ½ tablespoon whole cloves
  • 1 whole nutmeg cracked (or ½ teaspoon ground)
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seed
  • 3 ½ cups sugar
  • ⅓ cup lemon thinly sliced (1 small)
  • 1 cup vinegar 5% acidity

Filling Jars

  • ⅛ teaspoon pickle crisp per jar, optional

Instructions

Day 1

  • 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.
Servings: 24 servings
Author: Katie Shaw