Most people throw away the watermelon rind, but you should start using it as a healthy, refreshing treat. The rind contains plenty of health-promoting and blood-building chlorophyll and it contains more of the amino acid citrulline than the pink flesh.
First off, you will want to eat or scoop out all of the watermelon meat from the melon. Next, make sure to cut your rinds into thin small strips. The smaller the rind pieces are, the easier it is for the entire section to soak up the pickling spices and have an even flavor throughout.
The ingredients you will need besides the rind are white vinegar, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon. The process is a fairly lengthy one so make sure that you aren’t in a time crunch to have your pickles ready.
Let your cut rind pieces soak in water that ⅓ cup of salt has been dissolved in. You will want to let the rind soak in the brine for at least 12 hours. After the rind has soaked drain the pieces and rinse them off with plain water.
Then, on a stove top, combine two cups of white vinegar, two cups of water, four cups of sugar, one teaspoon of whole cloves, one sliced lemon and 4 cinnamon sticks.
After bringing this mixture to a boil add the rind pieces and bring the pot down to a simmer. Cook all these components for about a half hour or until the rind is clear.
Then, add the concoction to sealable containers and wait to eat until at room temperature. You can repeat this process with any melon rind!
