Candied Watermelon Rind Food

WATERMELON RIND CANDY

Steps:

• Bring the water and salt to a boil in a large, enamel stockpot over high heat. Add the watermelon rinds, and return to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes, then drain the rinds in a colander. Bring the vinegar to a boil with 6 cups of sugar. Remove from the heat, stir in the watermelon rinds, cover, and let stand overnight.
• The following day, remove the rinds from the syrup using a slotted spoon, and place them into a clean bowl. Set the stockpot onto the stove over high heat, add 4 cups of sugar, and return the syrup to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the stockpot from the heat, and stir in the watermelon rinds, cover, and let stand overnight.
• On day 3, repeat the process above, using only 2 cups of sugar: remove the rinds from the syrup using a slotted spoon, and place them into a clean bowl. Set the stockpot onto the stove over high heat, add 2 cups of sugar, and return the syrup to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the stockpot from the heat, and stir in the watermelon rinds, cover, and let stand overnight. Repeat step 3 every day for 6 more days.
• On day 10, sterilize the canning jars, rings and lids in boiling water. Pack the watermelon rinds into sterilized jars, making sure there are no spaces or air pockets on the sides. Add two cloves and one cinnamon stick to each jar. Return the syrup to a boil, and fill the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with boiling water. Carefully lower jars into pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary, until tops of jars are covered by 2 inches of water. Bring water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the stockpot from the heat, and let the jars stand in the water for 2 hours off of the heat.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area for 2 weeks before opening.

WATERMELON RIND JAM (CANDIED WATERMELON RIND)

Steps:

• Remove the red flesh of the watermelon, leaving only one very thin layer of red flesh attached to the rind, about 2 mm/ 0.08 inches. Remove the green skin of the watermelon completely.
• Chop the watermelon rind into even pieces of about 3-4 cm/ 1.2-1.6 inches. You should weigh the watermelon rind now and prepare more if necessary.
• Place 1 liter/ 34 oz/ 4.2 cups water and the vinegar in a pot with a diameter of approximately 23 cm/ 9 inches and a height of 14 cm/ 5.5 inches (*See the marked paragraph above).
• Bring to a boil, add the watermelon rind and let cook for about an hour or a bit more until the rind pieces are glossy and somehow transparent. It is a necessary step, the vinegar will help the watermelon rind pieces hold their shape and not get soggy.
• Drain in a sieve, refresh with cold water and, when cool enough to handle, press with your hand to remove more of the excess water.
• Weigh the watermelon rind again. You should have more or less 500 g/ 1.1 lbs cooked rind. Set aside.
• Measure the sugar, you should use the same amount of sugar as you have of cooked watermelon rind, so about 500 g/ 1.1 lbs.
• Place the sugar in the rinsed pot you used before. Add 250 ml/ 8.5 oz/ 1 cup water to the sugar and turn on the heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. When the syrup comes to a boil, add the watermelon rind and the lemon juice.
• Cook until a light syrup forms, it took me exactly 38 minutes, but as I have mentioned above, the cooking time depends on the size of the pot as well. I used a soup pot with a diameter of 23 cm/ 9 inches and a height of 14 cm/ 5.5 inches.
• If your pot has a similar size the time should be OK, if your pot is wider the cooking time will probably be shorter, if your pot is narrower the cooking time will probably be a bit longer. The finished syrup should be light in color and have more or less the consistency of clear honey.
• Place the jam into the sterilized jars and seal well. Keep in a dark cool place. If the jars are sterilized and well-sealed the jam should be good for a very long time.

WATERMELON RIND CANDY

Steps:

• Place the strips of watermelon rind in a saucepan and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Let cook at a boil for 5 minutes. Drain the rinds well and let them cool. Meanwhile, combine 1 quart of water with the salt in a glass or plastic bowl. Mix well. When the watermelon rinds are cool, place them in the salt bring. Cover the bowl and let the rinds sit in the brine for at least 6 hours. Drain the brine and rinse the rinds several times in fresh water. Place the rinds in a saucepan and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the watermelon rinds are tender. In another saucepan, combine the sugar, lemon peel, and the remaining water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the mixture reaches softball stage, about 235 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Add the rinsed rind to the sugar mixture. Cook at a simmer, stirring frequently, until the rind is clear and the syrup forms long threads when drizzled from a spoon. Remove the rind from the sugar mixture and let drain on a rack over waxed paper. Place sugar in a shallow bowl. Dredge the rinds in the sugar, coating completely. Shake off any excess sugar. Place the rinds on a rack to cool and dry. When dry, store the watermelon candy in an airtight container.

CANDIED WATERMELON RIND

Steps:

• Place watermelon rind in a deep pot and add the sugar.
• Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight (at least 4 hours) to macerate.
• In the morning, bring to a simmer, stirring to thoroughly dissolve the sugar.
• Add the remaining ingredients, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Cubes will be translucent when done.
• Uncover and bring to a boil. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring often, to reduce the syrup to a thick caramel-like liquid.
• While still hot, ladle into sterilized jars and process in a waterbath for 30 minutes (the original calls for turning the jars upside down for a minute to create a seal but to correlate with the US safety guidelines I suggest waterbath canning for shelf-storage. If you're keeping it in the fridge, skip this part!).

CHEWY WATERMELON RIND CANDY

Steps:

• Cut watermelon rind into 2-inch long, 1-inch wide, and 1/2-inch thick pieces.
• Combine water, sugar, spearmint, and basil in a large pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Strain out spearmint and basil. Add watermelon rind, making sure pieces are completely immersed. Cook until rind is soft, about 5 minutes.
• Drain watermelon pieces and arrange in a single layer on dehydrator trays. Dry according to manufacturer's instructions until pieces are candied and dried, 6 to 8 hours.

WATERMELON RIND PRESERVES

Steps:

• Trim green skin and pink flesh from watermelon rind; chop enough rind to yield 6 cups. In a large bowl, stir salt and 2 quarts warm water until salt is dissolved. Add 6 cups chopped rind. Cover and refrigerate 5-6 hours. Drain and rinse in cold water; drain. Cover rind with cold water and let stand 30 minutes. Drain. Transfer rind to a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until just tender, 10-15 minutes; drain., To make preserves, in a stockpot, combine sugar, lemon juice and 7 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in rind. Place cinnamon, cloves and cardamom on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather corners of cloth to enclose seasonings; tie securely with string. Add to stockpot. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until rind is clear, 30-45 minutes. Discard spice bag., Remove from heat. Ladle hot mixture into 6 hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight., Place jars into canner with water simmering, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

SWEET PICKLED WATERMELON RIND

Steps:

• Cut watermelon in half; remove flesh and seeds. Using a metal spoon, scrape rind to remove all traces of pink. Cut rind crosswise in 1-inch-wide strips. Using a vegetable peeler or a small sharp knife, peel the green skin from the rind. Cut away any bruises or bad spots. Cut rind into 2-inch lengths.
• In a large nonreactive bowl, combine salt and 1 gallon cold water. Add rind; let soak in brine overnight. Rinse rind 2 or 3 times in fresh cold water, and drain well.
• Combine sugar and vinegar in a large nonreactive pot, and heat until sugar is dissolved. Fold an 8-by-16-inch piece of cheesecloth in half to make a square; rinse, and squeeze dry. Place ginger, spices, and lemon on the cheesecloth. Tie cloth closed with one end of a 12-inch piece of kitchen twine. Tie a loop in the other end, and slip it over the handle of a wooden spoon. Suspend spice bag in the vinegar syrup by placing the spoon across the top of the pot. Add rind to the pot, and return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 30 minutes, and let sit overnight. Discard spice bag.
• Wash seven 1-pint canning jars, lids, and screw bands with hot, soapy water, and rinse well. Place jars upright on a wire rack in the bottom of a large pot. Fill pot with hot water until jars are submerged by 1 to 2 inches, and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, leaving jars in water. Sterilize lids according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Using stainless-steel tongs, remove jars from water, and place on a layer of clean towels. With a slotted spoon, transfer rind to jars, leaving 3/4 inch of space beneath the rim. Return syrup to a boil. Pour hot syrup over rind, covering it by 1/4 inch and leaving 1/2 inch of space beneath the rim. Slide a clean plastic chopstick or wooden skewer along inside of each jar to release any air bubbles. Wipe mouth of jar with a clean, damp cloth. Place hot lid on jar; turn screw band firmly without forcing.
• Place a wire rack in the bottom of a large pot, and fill partway with hot water. Using a jar lifter, place jars upright on rack. Add enough hot water to cover by 2 inches, and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars from water bath; let stand on clean dish towels for 24 hours. Check cool jars for the slight indentation in the lids that indicates a vacuum seal. Jars that do not seal properly or that leak during processing should be stored in the refrigerator and pickles consumed within a week. Allow sealed pickles to mellow in a cool, dry place for 2 to 3 weeks. Store opened jars in the refrigerator.

CANDIED LEMON RIND

Steps:

• Line an 11-by-17-inch baking pan with parchment paper; place a cooling rack on top; set aside. Cut each lemon in half, and scrape out pulp. Roughly chop the pulp; set aside. Cut the rind lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips.
• Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add baking soda and lemon rind; simmer gently for 5 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water.
• In a medium saucepan, combine 2 1/2 cups sugar and 2 cups water; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar has completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Add lemon rind. Simmer 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring 2 1/2 cups sugar and 2 cups water to a simmer in another saucepan. Stir until sugar dissolves. Using a slotted spoon, transfer rind from first pot into second pot; simmer rind until translucent, about 1 hour. Remove from syrup, transfer to cooling rack set over baking sheet. When rind is cool but tacky to the touch, about 10 minutes, roll rinds in remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Store in an airtight container up to 1 month.