Watermelon Rind Blueberry Bread Food

BLUEBERRY BREAD

Steps:

• Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 8x4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Place the blueberries in a separate bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the dry ingredients (this will help keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom).
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, honey, melted butter, vanilla, and lemon zest until smoothly combined. Whisk in the eggs. If the butter resolidifies, gently warm the bowl in the microwave, just until it melts again.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and with a wooden spoon or spatula, very gently stir the batter, stopping as soon as the flour disappears. Fold in the blueberries.
• For the topping, if using: In a small bowl, stir together the raw sugar and cinnamon.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar topping, if using. Bake for 30 minutes, then loosely tent the pan with foil to keep the bread from browning too quickly. Continue baking for 15 to 20 additional minutes (45 to 50 minutes total), or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean without any wet batter clinging to it. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely. Transfer to a cutting board, slice, and enjoy!

WATERMELON RIND-BLUEBERRY BREAD

Steps:

• Wash the outside of a watermelon with soap and water. Peel the outer layer of the watermelon and cut the watermelon extracting the red middle section from the white watermelon rind.
• Shred watermelon rind with a food processor; this might get a bit messy as there is a lot of liquid. Drain shredded rind in a colander, squeezing to remove as much excess liquid as you can.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan.
• Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. Combine eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla extract, and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Add watermelon rind and mix well. Slowly mix in flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 60 to 75 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

WATERMELON RIND PICKLES

Steps:

• Place rind in a large nonreactive bowl; stir in water and salt. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Rinse and drain well., In a Dutch oven, mix sugar, vinegar, 2 cinnamon sticks, cloves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Add rinds; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until tender. Discard cinnamon sticks., Carefully ladle hot mixture into 4 hot 1-pint jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Add a remaining cinnamon stick to each jar. 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 simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

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!).

WATERMELON RIND BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

Steps:

• To prepare the melon, use a spoon to scrape away all the pink.
• Cut away the rind with a knife (this is fastest if you cut the melon into 3-inch squares).
• Cut rind into strips, cubes, or chunks.
• Layer the MELON and onion with salt in a large bowl; cover with ice cubes.
• Let stand 1 1/2 hours.
• Drain and rinse.
• Combine remaining ingredients in a large pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Add the MELON and onions and return to a boil.
• Pack hot PICKLES into hot, sterile jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space.
• Fit with lids.
• Process in boiling water for 10 minutes.

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.

WATERMELON RIND JAM

Steps:

• Cut rind into 1/3-inch strips. Cover in cold water and bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat, and let simmer slowly until transparent, about 30 minutes.
• Drain, and reserve 1 1/2 cups of liquid.
• In a heavy pot, completely dissolve sugar in reserved liquid. Add honey and lemon peel, and bring to a boil, skimming as needed. Add drained rind and seeds and boil gently over medium heat, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside overnight.
• Boil again over medium heat, until syrup thickens, about 15 minutes. Test for doneness.
• Add lemon juice and mastic or cardamom 5 minutes before jam is done. Let jam cool completely then store in a sterilized jar.

BLUEBERRY BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Whisk the egg, orange juice and butter. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Toss blueberries with remaining flour; fold into batter., Pour into a greased 8x4-in. loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60-65 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

WATERMELON-BLUEBERRY SALAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the honey, lemon juice and mint. Add watermelon and blueberries; toss gently to coat. Chill until serving.

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.

PICKLED WATERMELON RINDS

Steps:

• In a glass bowl, stir together the water and salt until the salt has dissolved. Add the watermelon rinds and any additional water needed to cover them. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
• Drain the watermelon rinds from the salted water, and place into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Cover with fresh water, then place over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil rinds for 30 minutes, then drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, tie the cloves, mustard seed, and cinnamon sticks in a piece of cheesecloth. Place into a large saucepan or Dutch oven along with the vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Stir in the drained watermelon rind, then return to the stove over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until the rind is transparent and the syrup is slightly thickened, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove and discard the spices after 40 minutes. Stir in the food coloring if desired.
• Ladle into hot sterilized 1 pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Seal jars with new lids and rings, making sure you have cleaned the jar's rims of any residue. Process jars under 1 inch of water in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Let cool overnight, then press down on the lids to make sure they are sealed before storing. Store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator and enjoy those first.