{"id":9709,"date":"2010-07-17T05:21:01","date_gmt":"2010-07-17T10:21:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizonsmagazine.com\/blog\/?p=9709"},"modified":"2013-11-22T06:09:07","modified_gmt":"2013-11-22T11:09:07","slug":"ive-been-making-crisp-quick-pickled-watermelon-rind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/horizonsmagazine.com\/blog\/ive-been-making-crisp-quick-pickled-watermelon-rind\/","title":{"rendered":"I’ve been making crisp, quick pickled watermelon rind"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"watermelon<\/a>The last couple of months, fresh watermelon has been my snack of choice. It’s the only thing I let myself eat when I’m watching tv.\u00a0 The problem is I’ve been cutting up so many watermelon rinds to compost that I thought ” I need to try pickling some”.\u00a0 I did and they turned out surprisingly awesome.\u00a0 I am not one for complicated recipes or something that has lots of steps and keeps me in the kitchen for hours.\u00a0 I went online and began looking at recipes for pickles and saw everything had to be soaked overnight and boiled and fermented for weeks.\u00a0 Forget that.\u00a0 I remembered an episode of Chopped<\/a> where someone made a\u00a0 pickled relish during one of the challenges, so I Googled “quick pickles” and began reading at the links that came up.<\/p>\n

I tried first with some cucumbers and I made a few small batches so I would know how the different spices and vinegars interacted.\u00a0 It worked so well I used the same for the watermelon rind. I used only what I had onhand, so I didn’t get fancy.\u00a0 I made a simple preparation using only:<\/p>\n

rice wine vinegar
\nbalsamic vinegar
\nmustard seeds
\ncoriander seeds
\nsea salt (do not used iodized salt)
\nwhite sugar<\/p>\n

I first cut up the watermelon rind into small pieces, like a chunky relish size.\u00a0 I saw that many of the cooked recipes for pickled rind said that, once it’s fermented, the consistency is of a ripe pear.\u00a0 I didn’t want that.\u00a0 I wanted them crispy like pickles, so this doesn’t get cooked.<\/p>\n

I’m also not making pounds of it, merely a few zip lock baggies full.\u00a0\u00a0 I poured about a cup of rice wine vinegar into a small saucepan and then a few splashes of raspberry balsamic vinegar. Put the heat on medium to warm it.<\/p>\n

I did a quick crush using mortar and pestle of a teaspoon each of the mustard and coriander seeds.\u00a0 I added them to the vinegar along with 2 teaspoons of white sugar.\u00a0 You just want to heat enough to melt the sugar, then remove from the heat and let cool.<\/p>\n

I chopped the watermelon rind into small chunks and slivers, and also chopped half of a red onion, for color.\u00a0 Toss that into the saucepan as it cools.\u00a0 You can also throw in a few capers if you like them.\u00a0 I tossed in some chopped cucumbers as well.<\/p>\n

Once cooled, pour the mixture into small baggies, seal and leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours.\u00a0 They have more flavor if left overnight but are good in a few hours.<\/p>\n

I also tried a version adding some slivered carrot, celery and squash and they were great.\u00a0 I slice the veggies thin or dice small so it is relish-like instead of big chunks.\u00a0 I don’t know how long it would take for the vinegar to soak into big chunks.<\/p>\n

I also tried a batch using a cinnamon stick and fresh ginger.\u00a0 I’ve also added a few allspice berries<\/a> and liked the flavor.\u00a0 I’ve added fresh rosemary and liked that flavor as well.<\/p>\n

In my quest to find ever more delicious light and healthy foods, I have a renewed interest in pickles and relishes. This is a great way to make the most of the many watermelon rinds this time of year.<\/p>\n

And a great way to add flavor without fat to my foods.
\nI’m all for that!<\/p>\n

Andrea<\/p>\n

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