I think I’ve finally got the hang of canning. I’ve got to admit that I’ve found the whole process of food preservation a bit daunting. I’ve taken a couple of classes and read lots of blogs and books, but sometimes I get overwhelmed with the amount of fresh produce that is ready all at once and the hours it will take to process. I think it’s like making any recipe a few times. The first few times take a lot longer as you familiarize yourself with the ingredients and the process. After three or four passes, you may tweak the recipe a bit and then you get to feeling pretty pro – it tastes better and you get faster each time. I guess it’s the same with canning. I had a few mishaps a couple of years ago so perhaps that set me off on the wrong feet. Well, I’ve jumped back in both feet firmly planted on the ground and a whole slew of recipes sourced from friends and trusted food bloggers.
So far, so good. Our pantry is overflowing and now I need to start designing a new canning storage rack to display all these lovely jars of goodness. My memories of this summer will now include the satisfying “ping” of lids as they cool and seal while I’m drifting off to sleep. The sound of canning success!
I pulled out some good old cook books when looking for some canning tips and found this recipe at the back of the home preserving section. Since we had a huge watermelon sitting on the counter seemed a great way to use up all the rinds that would otherwise end up in the compost pile. Nothing wrong with that, but we eat a lot of stews and curries during the winter so we can never have enough spicy pickles and chutneys to zest things up with.
Spicy Watermelon Pickles
rind from 1 med to large watermelon
1/2 cup sea salt
9 short cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp whole cloves
small square cheesecloth (optional)
4 cups sugar
2 cups white vinegar (we used 1/2 white and 1/2 apple cider)
1 lemon sliced into very thin rounds (this was a creative add-on)
Day before canning:
Wash your melon. Trim thin, dark green outer skin from rind (we didn’t do this…looks too pretty!). Cut find into 1-inch pieces to make about 14 cups. In very large bowl, dissolve salt in 6 cups of water; add rind. (add some extra water to cover if necessary). Cover and refrigerate.
Note: This recipe advised us to cut up the rind in 1″ pieces. This we did, but upon viewing other recipes I may opt for long thin slices next time around. They just look prettier in the jars!
Next day:
Drain rind; rinse in running cold water; drain. In large pot, cover rind with cold water. Over high heat, heat to boiling; reduce heat to low; simmer 30 minutes; drain. Tie spices in cheesecloth (we just threw them right into the mix). In same pot, combine sugar, vinegar, 2 cups water, lemon, spice bag and rind. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover; simmer 1 hour, stirring often; remove from heat. Meanwhile prepare jars and lids for canning. (some helpful tips here)
Discard spice bag (or just take out the cinnamon sticks if you cooked it all together). Ladle hot mixture into prepared jars, leaving 1/2-inch head space; close jars. Process in boiling water 5 minutes (although I typically do all mine for 12-15) Cool. Wait 3 weeks or so and enjoy!
