Pickled Watermelon Rind Recipe: 5 Handy Pickling Tips

Pickled watermelon rind is a condiment made by soaking slices of the inner rind of a watermelon in a brine of vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices. The balance of acidity, sweetness, and salt is the perfect accompaniment to the lightly flavored rind. You can apply this pickling brine to other crisp ingredients such as green mango, cucumbers, or fennel.

Pickling can help reduce food waste since most people don’t consume raw watermelon rind, the light-green part of the fruit between the skin and the pink flesh. Zero-waste recipes that use every part of a fruit or vegetable are useful to have in your arsenal.

There are many ways to make pickles—fermenting and refrigerating are among the most popular methods. Fermented pickles require a precise amount of salt and specific environmental conditions to kick-start the natural fermentation process.

Home canners typically pickle watermelon rind using a style called refrigerator pickling. There’s no need for a boiling water bath or special equipment with refrigerator pickling, making this an easy recipe for a first-time pickler. The ratios of salt and sugar for refrigerator pickles are not rigid, so adjust the seasoning to your preference once you feel comfortable with the process.

Here’s how to make crispy, tangy pickled watermelon rind at home:

1. 1. Peeling the watermelon: You’ll want to remove the thin layer of outer deep-green skin with a vegetable peeler for this recipe, which will leave you with the white and pale-green rind for the pickle. A bit of pink flesh is acceptable, but keep the deeply hued flesh for eating.
2. 2. Choosing the right vinegar: While balsamic and apple cider vinegars are useful and bright pantry ingredients, distilled white vinegar has a fixed acidity of five percent, creating ideal conditions for consistent pickles. Since the liquid is clear, distilled vinegar has the bonus of not changing the color of your ingredients.
3. 3. Adding whole spices: Ground spices can make pickling liquid cloudy and will often settle as sediment at the bottom of the jar. Use whole spices like cloves, black peppercorns, allspice berries, cinnamon sticks, fennel seeds, or star anise pods to infuse your pickling liquid with a unique flavor while keeping your pickles clear and crisp. Sliced jalapeños or whole dried chiles add an optional kick.
4. 4. Using canning jars: Although these refrigerator pickles are not ideal for canning, you’ll still want to use canning jars for storage. The banded lids of glass canning jars work to create a tight seal, preventing any unwanted bacteria from getting into your pickles.
5. 5. Making sweet or sour pickles: For sweet pickles, add a quarter cup more sugar. Add a few sprigs of fresh dill to the jars and a few garlic cloves to the brine for dill pickles.