Watermelon Rind Recipe

Cooking always leaves us with scraps. From husks to seeds, pits, and stems, there is only so much we can do about it.

A TikTok video of an influencer sharing their watermelon rind recipe went viral. Now, more and more videos and recipes are posted on how to cook watermelon rinds.

Here is one of the delicious recipes we like, to make your trash become a tasty treasure!

Pickled Watermelon Rind Recipe:

To make this recipe, you’ll need

• kosher salt

• Apple Cider Vinegar

• Granulated Sugar

• Ginger

• Pickling Spices

• A Small Watermelon

Directions

Step 1: Peel Away The Rind

With a vegetable peeler, you want to take off the initial bright green layer on the watermelon and put those scraps into the compost.

Step 2: Cut The Watermelon

Cut the watermelon into quarters. From here, it will be easier to cut them into long 1/2 inch thick strips.

Then, you want to remove all of the juicy watermelon from the rind.

Step 3: Boiling The Rinds

Choose a pot that can fit all of your rinds, and then some. Fill the pot with water until the rinds are covered by about an inch of water, and boil.

Let the water boil for a couple minutes, allowing for the rinds to soften.

Once soft, remove the rinds and let them cool. Place the cooled rinds into the a few mason jars. It should fit into two 1 pint mason jars.

TRY - ZERO WASTE: Instead of throwing your boiled water down the drain, try reusing it. Water that was used to boil vegetables and fruits has nutrients in them that can help your plants grow. You can let the water cool and use it as a great nutrient-boosting drink for your garden babies. OR, while the water is still hot, pour it over some nasty weeds, as a natural weed-killing solution. You can also use the water as a base for soups or as a way to help clean our drain, with a little help from baking soda and vinegar. First, pour some water down the drain, then a recipe of 1 cup baking soda with 1 cup of vinegar, let sit, then pour in the rest of the water.

Step 4: Make The Brine

Place all of the ingredients, aside from the watermelon, into a pot. Bring everything to a boil and stir often to dissolve the sugar. This should take less than 5 minutes.

When the sugar has dissolved, pour the brine over the rinds in the jar and let cool. When cool, seal and refrigerate. You can let your rinds sit for 24 hours or 2 weeks until they are ready to be enjoyed, this part is all about your preference. We enjoy ours less pickled, at about a day or two.

Ingredients:

• 1 small watermelon

• 2 Tbsp. kosher salt

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 inch ginger nub, sliced

• 1 Tbsp. pickling spice (our recipe below or store-bought)

• 1/2 tsp. whole allspice

• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns

To Make Your Own Pickle Spice:

• 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns

• 1 tsp. allspice berries

• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

• 4 bay leaves crushed

• 1 tsp green cardamom pods

• 1 tsp juniper berries

• 1 cinnamon stick broken up

• 1 star anise pod

Peel the rinds and cut the watermelon.

Place the rinds into a pot and cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, wait for the rinds to soften.

Remove softened rinds and place them into the pickling jars. as they cool, bring the rest of the ingredients to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Once dissolved, pour the brine over the watermelon rinds, let cool, and let sit for 24 hours or about 2 weeks.

Waiting less time has a fresher taste of the watermelon, while a longer pickling allows for more the flavors form the brine to seep in and really pickle the rinds.