Watermelon rind pickles

Yield: 8 Pints

Measure Ingredient
7 pounds Thick watermelon rind
¼ cup Pickling salt
1 quart Cold water
1 teaspoon Alum (opt)
7 cups Sugar
2 cups White vinegar
½ teaspoon Oil of cinnamon*
½ teaspoon Oil of cloves*

FORMATTED BY LISA CRAWFORD

*Note: You can substitute two sticks of cinnamon and about 12 cloves in a spice bag for the oils. Trim pink flesh and outer green from melon rind so you have white pulp. Cut pulp to 1-inch cubes overnight. Dissolve salt in cold water and soak melon-rind cubes overnight. Make more brine as needed to keep rind covered. Combine sugar, vinegar, oil of cinnamon, oil of cloves in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and pour over rind. Cover and let stand overnight. In morning, sterilize canning jars and lids according to manufacturer's directions. Drain off syrup into a saucepan. Pack the rind into sterilized canning jars. Bring syrup to a boil and pour over rind in jars; leaving ½" head space. Seal with sterilized lidss according to manufacturer's instructions. Process ina boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Nutritional info per 2 tbls: 48 cal; .2g pro, 12g carb, .1g fat(2%), .1g fiber, 0 mg chol, 201mg sodium Exchanges: ⅒ fruit, .7 bread Source: Blue Ribbon Pickles & Preserves by Maria Polushkin Robbins (St Martin's Press) Miami Herald, 9/28/95

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