Cocoa and Lavender: Family Jewels

If you were to be given a slice of watermelon (having never seen one), and were told it was edible, I am sure you would start with the ripe, red flesh. And then, as you neared the rind, your taste buds would tell you, "Stop! That's bitter!"

This makes me wonder, who the heck thought of making something with the rind? My assumption is that these pickles were born of the "waste not, want not" frame of mind. Use every possible part of the vegetable or animal.

I, myself, subscribe to this, and save chicken carcasses, beef bones, vegetable scraps, and shrimp shells to make a variety of stocks. Not only does it reduce waste, I end up with stocks that are much more flavorful than ones that come in cans.

Although I was unable to find any specific information as to when and where they were first made, I did find references to pickled melons as far back as 1832, when the Massachusetts author and abolitionist Lydia Maria Child – probably better known for writing the Thanksgiving poem "Over the River and Through the Wood" – wrote of them in her book, The American Frugal Housewife (My thanks to Markipedia for this reference!). Supporting the "waste not, want not" mentality, the subtitle for this book is, "Dedicated to those who are not ashamed of Economy." She called them mangoes, but she was talking about pickled cantaloupe flesh, and not the rind.

In an 1887 issue of The Atlanta Constitution, a recipe for pickled rind was published. It called for cinnamon, cloves, and cassia buds (something similar to cinnamon in flavor). The recipe is not too dissimilar to the one I use today.

Whoever figured this out - southerner or northerner - I am grateful to them, for these pickles were a very special treat in our household when I was growing up, always making an appearance in the relish tray on special holidays.

We used to buy them every year from the Vermont Country Store, when we were there on summer vacation in the town where my mother was raised. My parents would stock up for each coming year. They came in a tall, narrow jar - the kind that required a skinny pickle fork to retrieve its contents.

Unlike other pickles, the rinds take on a translucent, rather jewel-like appearance after being boiled for several hours. We served them as a sweet and spicy contrast to a roast - beef, pork, or chicken - and just the taste of them makes me think of Christmas, which (for those of you who worry about shopping time) is coming very soon. This past weekend I saw my first Christmas decorations exhibited for sale.

The recipe I share with you today is a traditional family recipe from my friend Patricia, who got it from her grandmother, Claire. The process is actually quite simple, but I must warn you that it takes a lot of time... a minimum of 36 hours, during most of which the pickle maker is able to sleep, work, eat, read, or watch movies.

If you like unusual pickles or preserves, I highly recommend these. They make wonderful holiday gifts, if you can bear to give any away.

Thanks, Patricia, for sharing this family jewel!

Pickled Watermelon Rind

1 large watermelon, about 15 pounds, with thick rind

3 tablespoons kosher salt

2 quarts cider vinegar

4 large cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon whole cloves

6 black peppercorns

1 jar maraschino cherries, drained

Halve the watermelon lengthwise and cut into 1-inch slices. Using a sharp knife, remove the thin, dark green skin, and then remove the red flesh as close as possible to the pale, white-green rind. Save the red-pink flesh for another use. Cut the pared rind into bite-sized chunks, and place in a large bowl.

Sprinkle the rind with the salt; cover with cold water. Place a plate on top of the rinds to keep them submerged. Let this mixture sit 8 hours, or overnight.

After soaking in salt water, drain the rind and place in a large soup kettle; cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and boil for 1 1/2 hours. Drain.

While the rinds are boiling, put the sugar and vinegar in another large kettle and bring to a boil for 30 minutes. Add drained rind. Place spices (cinnamon, cloves, and peppercorns) in a piece of cheesecloth and tie into a bag using trussing string. Add spice bag and drained cherries to the rind and syrup and boil for 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover; let sit for 8 hours.

After the resting period, remove the spice bag and bring to a boil, and boil for 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove rind from the syrup and pack tightly into hot, sterile one-pint canning jars. Fill with syrup. Screw on the covers, and process is a boiling water bath (fully submerged) for 10 minutes.