| I used to have these as a kid as well!! My grandmother used to make
them.
I tried making them a few years ago with fairly good success...
What I can't tell you is quantity.. I think I had about 5-6 cups
of rind after they were cut up and skin removed.
Basically you cut the rind into 1 1/2 inch pieces.. peel all the
outside skin away and soak them in a brine over night.. (for brine
about 1/2 cup of salt to every 4 cups of water..) place a plate
over the soaking rind to keep them under the water.
The pickling solution is made with half the sugar you use vinegar..
eg. 4 cups vinegar, 2 cups sugar. A nice mild white vinegar is
best. Bring this to the boil with some whole cloves, a few small
pickling onions, mustard seed, a bay leaf and a little cinnamon bark..
(my grandmother used to add a few drop of red food colouring as
she made her watermelon pickles pink - you could try a little beet
juice if you wanted the same effect or a natural red vegetable dye.)
When this has come to the boil add the drained and rinsed rind and
cook on simmer until pickles are just tender.. pack into sterilised
jars and leave at least 2 weeks for spices to develop.
I think that was about it.. it was really easy and they tasted just
like I had remembered Gram's.. we always had them in the summer
with baked beans, corn on the cob, homemade bread etc.. all this
is making me hungry!
I'm sorry I don't have the quantities written down anymore.. but
I think you could look at most any cooked pickle recipe and adjust
your liquid to rind measurements along the same lines..
gailann
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| Hi! Here's my sister's Spiced Watermelon Rinds
Makes two pints.
Ingredients:
l 1/2 qts cubed watermelon rind - about 2 lbs.
3 tbsp. salt
3 qts. water
8 cups granulated sugar
2 cups cider vinegar
2 tbsp whole cloves
2 tbsp whole allspice (?)
6 3" cinnamon sticks
Use rind from a firm not over ripe watermelon. Before measuring
trim off green skin and pink flesh and cut rind in 1" cubes. Soak
overnight in the combined salt and 1 qt of the water. Drain, cover
with fresh water and cook until tender, drain. Boil together for
5 minutes the remaining 2 qts of water, sugar, vinegar and spices
which have been tied in a piece of cheesecloth. Add the melon rind
and cook uncovered until transparent, about 45 minutes. remove
spice bag. Turn immediately into hot sterilized preserve jars and
seal immediately.
Note: Store any left over syrup in refrig. Use for second lot later.
___These are good. I questioned the whole allspice as I am not
familiar wih whole allspice---
Flo
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