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Recipe Wed May 27 2015
Pickling Watermelon: A Refreshing Summer Dish
One thing that pops up after large floods--besides animal corpses and mold in your walls-are watermelons. After the waters recede and sunshine glares upon the wet earth, watermelons begin appearing in the oddest places--on the side of roads, in the front yard. It may be just a Southern thang, but what a wonderful thang it is.
Because watermelons produce so much waste, one trick I learned during my childhood was pickling watermelon rinds. Sweet and tender, these rinds pair well with grilled pork, ramen, and pretty much anything. So here's one more recipe for the pickling movement:
Ingredients
One watermelon (4-5 pounds)
1 cup sugar
1 cup rice vinegar (or regular vinegar)
½ cup water
Thai chili
2 star anise pods
3 teaspoons salt
Directions
1. Pare away the green outer rind from the watermelon and throw away.
2. Slice watermelon into 2 inch by 2 inch squares, about an inch thick. It doesn't have to be perfectly cut.
3. Place the rest of your ingredients into large pot, stirring until everything is dissolved. Add your rind and cook until it starts to boil. Reduce your heat and simmer until you can poke through the rind with a fork. Making sure that your rind is completely submerged in the liquid, remove from heat and cool.
4. Once cooled, transfer all contents to an airtight container (e.g. empty pickle jar) and chill.