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Canning Watermelon Rind Pickles
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Watermelon Rind Pickles

A surprisingly sweet and tangy pickle made from watermelon rinds!
Prep Time4 hours
Cook Time20 minutes
Canning Time10 minutes
Total Time4 hours 30 minutes
Course: pickles
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Pickled Fruit
Servings: 40 Servings, Makes 4 to 5 pints
Author: Ashley Adamant

Ingredients

  • 3 Quarts watermelon rind about 6 lbs
  • 3/4 cup salt Himalayan, kosher, sea salt, etc.
  • 3 Quart water
  • 2 Quart ice cubes about 2 trays
  • 9 cups sugar
  • 3 cups White vinegar at 5% acidity
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 Tbsp. whole cloves
  • 6 whole cinnamon sticks broken or cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 whole lemon thinly sliced with seeds removed

Instructions

  • Using a sharp paring knife, remove green outer rind from watermelon rinds. Cut rind into 1-inch squares.
  • Make a cold water brine by mixing together the salt and 3 quarts of cold water, stirring to completely dissolve the salt.
  • Cover the watermelon with the cold brine and ice cubes. Stir and let sit for 3-4 hours.
  • Drain and rinse the watermelon rind under cold water in a colander.
  • Add the watermelon rind back to the sauceoan, cover with cold water, and bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Drain. Add the watermelon back to the saucepan or a large heat-proof bowl.
  • In another saucepan, combine sugar, vinegar, 3 cups of water, and spice sachet*. Boil for 5 minutes.
  • Pour the syrup/spice sachet over the watermelon rind. Stir in sliced lemon. Let the watermelon rinds and syrup stand overnight in the fridge.
  • The next day, heat the watermelon, spice sachet, syrup, and lemon slices in a large saucepan until boiling. Lower the heat and slowly cook the rind for 1 hour.
  • Pack pickled watermelon rinds in prepared pint jars. Ladle over hot syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a wooden chopstick and adjust syrup as needed to fulfil headspace requirements.
  • Wipe each jar and jar rim with a clean kitchen towel before two-piece metal canning jars until fingertip tight.
  • Load jars into hot water canner and process for 10 minutes**, covering jars with at least 1-inch of water.
  • Remove jars from hot water canner with tongs, transferring them to a clean kitchen towel-lined space, leaving an inch of space between each jar. Let the contents of the jars come to room temperature (between 12-24 hours).
  • Check the seal of each metal jar lid, transferring any unsealed jars to the fridge. Jars with sealed lids can be stored in a cool, dry place away from direct light for up to 18 months.

Notes

*To make the spice sachet, wrap and secure cinnamon pieces and whole cloves in cheesecloth.
**If canning at an altitude between 1,001-6,001 feet process jars for 15 minutes; if canning at an altitude greater than 6,000 feet process jars for 20 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 2131mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.3mg