The next time we have a watermelon I’ll give you a recipe for making watermelon rind pickles, but love this idea from Fine Cooking magazine for a watermelon rind relish. No canning required! The recipe calls for 1/2 of a jalapeno, but of course you can vary that by the tolerance for heat in your household. Although I have to say, every jalapeno I’ve cooked with this year has been pretty spicy! This should keep pretty well in your refrigerator – maybe for a month? 1 (4-pound). watermelon
Ingredients:
1 (4-pound) watermelon 2 oranges 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced 1/2 medium jalapeño, finely chopped (with ribs and seeds) Kosher salt
Preparation:
Cut the flesh away from the watermelon rind. Cut enough of the flesh into 1/4-inch dice to yield 1/2 cup (reserve the rest for another use like the recipe above!). Using a vegetable peeler, remove the dark-green skin from the rind and discard. Cut the rind into 1/4-inch dice; you should have about 3 cups.
Slice the ends off one of the oranges. Stand the orange on one cut end and cut off the peel and white pith to expose the flesh. Cut the orange segments from the membrane, cut each segment into 3 pieces, and put them in a small bowl. Squeeze the juice from the membrane into the bowl. Repeat with the remaining orange.
In a 3-quart saucepan, combine 2/3 cup water with the watermelon flesh and rind, orange segments and juice, brown sugar, vinegar, shallot, jalapeño and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rind is translucent and the mixture thickens, about 40 minutes. Season to taste with salt, and let cool to room temperature.