This recipe for Southern-Style Pickled Watermelon Rinds is simple and easy. Plus, it’s a tasty way to make your kitchen more sustainable by utilizing parts of watermelon that are typically discarded.
What are Southern-Style Pickled Watermelon Rinds?
Watermelon rinds can be eaten raw but are fibrous and relatively flavorless. However, they make an excellent pickle! Pickled Watermelon Rinds are savory, crunchy, and tangy, with just a hint of sweetness and spice.
After chatting with two amazing Ag InnovatHERs, Katie Southern and Jessica Ell of AgroRenew, I was inspired by their groundbreaking product, which repurposes watermelon crop waste to create 100% biodegradable plastic. While I don’t have the equipment in my kitchen to perform that feat, I tried to embody that same spirit while creating this recipe for Southern-Style Pickled Watermelon Rinds, which uses as much of the melon as possible. This recipe also takes inspiration from the array of pickles my grandmother used to make with her garden scraps.
Watermelon 101
Watermelon was a staple in the American diet long before our country’s founding, and it holds a special place in American cooking and our cultural celebrations. (In fact, a recipe for Pickled Watermelon Rinds can be found in “American Cookery” by Amelia Simmons, the first cookbook published in America in 1796.) However, the cultivation of sweet watermelons dates back more than 7,000 years to South Africa.
A Brief History of Watermelon Cultivation
There are distinct types of melons. Sweet varieties flourished in South Africa, and bitter melons were cultivated in West Africa. African bitter melons are a staple in West African cooking that differs from our typical supermarket melons. Bitter melons, which are genetic cousins of the modern melon, are more like gourds and require cooking to soften the flesh, which is mostly what we’d consider “rind.” They have larger, white seeds and, as described, a very bitter flavor profile.
As soon as watermelons were cultivated around 5,000 B.C., humans began domesticating and seed-selecting to improve their taste, growing ability, and resistance to disease. As varieties were grown in different climates across the world and passed from culture to culture — from parts of Africa to Asia and Egypt, and from Egypt to Rome, Europe, and then on to the Americas by the 1500s — both natural and human selection came together to produce the sweet varieties of melon we enjoy today.
Save the Seeds
We all know consuming the tiny white seeds won’t sprout a vine in your belly — but you can technically eat the black seeds, too, which do have some nutritional benefits. If you do get a particularly tasty melon, I’d say a better use of the true seeds is to save them! Separate them as you process, wash away the pulp in a fine-mesh colander, dry them out on parchment paper in the sun, and save them in a little jam jar to plant next season. Considering the history of watermelons, your participation in that practice is only natural!
The name “watermelon” is very fitting since they are made up of approximately 92% water. Due to its high water content, American settlers commonly used watermelons for utility and medicinal purposes beyond a food source. For instance, pioneers fashioned water canteens from hollowed-out watermelons and tapped into its’ natural cooling properties by using sliced rinds as forehead compresses to relieve symptoms of heat stroke.
Beyond a natural source of hydration, watermelon is a low-calorie treat (around 45 calories per cup) that packs a nutritional punch. It’s rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants like lycopene and citrulline, which support heart health, immunity, digestion, skin health, and weight management.
One thing that’s up for debate: Is watermelon a fruit or a vegetable?
Watermelon is technically classified as a vegetable. While the modern watermelon, considered a “dessert” watermelon, is consumed raw like a fruit, it is part of the Cucurbitaceae plant family, which includes other more common vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins. However, it makes more sense when you consider that watermelons grow on vines that produce separate male and female flowers on the same plant, which is a common characteristic of plants in this family.
Breaking It Down: The Ratio of Flesh vs. Rind Inside an Average Watermelon
The sweet, juicy flesh of watermelon, called the “pepo,” has a near-endless list of sweet and savory applications. While you can cook down the peel of a watermelon to make it edible (and many people do include them when pickling!), we decided a quicker process from start to finish was more desirable.
Did you know? When you cut open a modern-day watermelon, on average, only about a third of its total weight is edible, red flesh. The white rind and fibrous green outer peel make up the remaining two-thirds. This recipe actually cut the amount of watermelon waste I typically discard in half!
In my recipe testing, I did a little experiment! I purchased an average-sized watermelon from my local supermarket — just under 10 pounds. As I broke it down, I weighed each part: flesh, rind, and unedible peel. (Yes, these numbers don’t exactly add up, but I think my snacking might be to blame for that!)
Here’s what I found:
- Total Weight of the Watermelon: 9 lbs. 10 oz.
- Weight of the Red Fruit: 2 lb. 13oz. (approx. 1/3 the total weight)
- Processed Rind: 3 lbs. 3 oz. (just over 1/3 the total weight)
- Inedible Waste (ends and peels): 2 lbs. 10 oz. (just under 1/3 the total weight)
Looking at the bigger picture and understanding the amount of compostable waste from a single supermarket melon really put Katie’s innovation into perspective.
What’s the best way to cut a watermelon?
The best way to cut a watermelon is the SAFEST way. Here are some safety tips to keep in mind when you are cutting a watermelon:
- Use a super, super sharp knife. If needed, sharpen it first. I also broke down the rinds into smaller pieces to remove them with my knife. Many recipes suggest using a peeler, but I’ve never come across a peeler that sharp in my life, nor do I trust myself with one for this kind of job!
- Secure your cutting board. Place towels underneath it to secure it. That way, the only thing that’s slipping around is the melon! The towels also help reduce the amount of clean-up you must do regarding runaway juices.
- Create flat surfaces as you cut. As you break down the watermelon, make flat surfaces whenever you can (think cubes). Then, you can flip and rotate the melon to those new, freshly cut flat surfaces as you work.
- Cut from the inside out. Once you’re just breaking down the rinds, break down each larger piece into planks with the cut side up when possible. You won’t have to use as much force and risk hurting yourself. However, if your knife is sharp enough, that shouldn’t be a problem!
Southern-Style Pickled Watermelon Rinds
PREP TIME: 30 minutes active, 30 minutes in-active
COOK TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour, 15 minutes
SERVINGS: 12-16 (Makes 1 quart)
Making Southern-Style Pickled Watermelon Rinds is simple and easy. Plus, it’s a tasty way to make your kitchen more sustainable by utilizing parts of watermelon that are typically discarded.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups watermelon rind, peeled and diced
- 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup coarse kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp mixed spices, whole or ground (like peppercorns, bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon sticks, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and other warming spices)
RECIPE BY: Marion Kirkpatrick
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INSTRUCTIONS
- Lay down a dish towel and then place your extra large cutting board on top to secure it.
- Using a very sharp knife, break down the watermelon:
- Roll the watermelon until the flattest side of the melon is in contact with the cutting board. Cut off each round end and discard.
- Set the melon upright on one of the cut ends. Slicing downward, remove the rind in four quarters (leaving some of the red fruit with the rind based on the fruit’s natural shape). Some ripe fruit will add flavor to the pickles. Reserve the remaining red flesh for another use.
- Place each quarter of rind on the cutting board, cut side up, and slice lengthwise into 1″ planks. Discard the short, curved ends of each quarter.
- Turn each plank on its side; and using your sharp knife, slice off the green peel and and discard.
- When all the green parts have been removed, cube the remaining white and pink fruit, taking care each piece of rind has a tiny bit of pink. Set aside.
- Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and spices in a large, non-reactive pot on medium-high heat.
- Once the pickling liquid is boiling, carefully add the prepared watermelon rind. Bring the mixture back up to a boil, and then turn off the heat. Set aside to cool (about 30 minutes).
- Add more whole spices to each canning jar if desired. Ladle the pickles into jars or containers and allow them to cool completely at room temperature before covering. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
OPTIONAL STEPS (PRESERVING THE PICKLES):
- Boil water in a large stockpot. Sterilize your canning jars and lids. Set aside to cool.
- Ladle the cooled pickle mixture into the jars using a canning funnel, leaving no more than 1/2″ headspace on each jar.
- Wipe the rims clean and secure the lids.
- Return the pot of water to a rapid boil. Process the jars in the water bath for 10 minutes. Remove them from the water and let them cool at room temperature for 24 hours. Date the jars and store them for up to one year. Refrigerate after opening.
