Pickled Watermelon Rind

At our traditional Memorial Day Barbecue last year we had lots and lots of watermelon. Because I just hate to see anything go to waste, my 9-year-old daughter and I cut up and peeled the rind to make pickled watermelon rind.

Now if you're making face, saying to yourself "that sounds gross," hear me out. They taste like sweet pickles. The rind, minus the fruit and the hard shell, has little taste. Pickled it has almost a sweet and sour taste to it and it is wonderful for summer picnics! Price pickled watermelon rind sometime, I bet that you won't find it for less than $5 a jar. It makes a great gift - your friends and family will think you're a gourmet!

And think about the educational value. My daughter and I not only had a completely enjoyable time together canning those pickles, she learned a lot about food preservation. She also learned that one man's trash is another man's treasure.

As an added bonus, my daughter entered a jar of the pickled watermelon rind in the 4-H competition at the county fair and won a blue ribbon.

If you want to give it a try, I got my recipe from the Ball Blue Book of Preserving. You can also find lots of recipes online. (Check the Internet links in the previous blog entry.)