Hot summer weather is always better with nice ice cold watermelon. We’ve had an especially hot summer this year with the heat dome so watermelon was always in our fridge. If you’ve ever cut your own watermelon, you would understand that there is a lot of compost that comes with it. As I was googling recipes, I came across watermelon rind pickles and thought that this was a great way to use the rind as I wanted to create as little waste as possible.

Begin by cutting the top and bottom off the watermelon. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the green part of the rind. You can leave some of it on but it will be a bit tougher. Once you have peeled the green off, carefully cut the rind off the watermelon. It is ok if some of the red flesh remains on the rind because it would give it a nice colour.

Cut the rind into smaller pieces and put them into a saucepan. You would need roughly 4 cups of watermelon rind.

To make the brining liquid, add 1 1/2 cup water and 1 1/2 cup white vinegar into the saucepan. Also add 1 tablespoon sea salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Give the liquid and rinds a good stir.

Bring the liquid to a boil and then turn the heat to simmer. Simmer the rinds for about 10 minutes. Longer if you want softer rinds. Shorter if you want a bit more of a crunch.

Turn the stove off and let the liquid and rinds cool before storing it in jars. The pickles will last about 2 weeks in the fridge. Serve with meats, salad, sandwiches and anything else you want. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 cups watermelon rind
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

1. Cut the top and bottom off the watermelon. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the green part of the rind. You can leave some of it on but it will be a bit tougher. Once you have peeled the green off, carefully cut the rind off the watermelon. It is ok if some of the red flesh remains on the rind because it would give it a nice colour.
2. Cut the rind into smaller pieces and put them into a saucepan. You would need roughly 4 cups of watermelon rind.
3. To make the brining liquid, add 1 1/2 cup water and 1 1/2 cup white vinegar into the saucepan. Also add 1 tablespoon sea salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Give the liquid and rinds a good stir.
4. Bring the liquid to a boil and then turn the heat to simmer. Simmer the rinds for about 10 minutes. Longer if you want softer rinds. Shorter if you want a bit more of a crunch.
5. Turn the stove off and let the liquid and rinds cool before storing it in jars. The pickles will last about 2 weeks in the fridge. Serve with meats, salad, sandwiches and anything else you want. Enjoy!

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