Watermelon Rind Preserves

[meedy92]

@Minstrelcraft Thanks for sharing your mother's wonderful recipe... I'd love to here more recipe's on jam's, preserves, or maybe even few deserts! You mother was a blessed cook. :)

[cindyb61968]

Wow I never new you could eat the rind. Thank you for showing me how to make it and I really liked at the end how you ate it on toast. It looks like my garden is going to produce a lot of watermelon this year and now I have something fun to do with the rind. Soooo excited to surprise all my friends and family..hummmm maybe Christmas gifts :)

[DollyTheLlama]

Thanks so much for this recipe! We've been eating a lot of watermelon lately and I want to make preserves for Christmas presents but couldn't find my old recipe book.

You can tell this is an old one because of it's simplicity. No soaking in brine or lime water. No straining and re-refrigerating. No fancy stuff like pineapple added. lol I can't wait until we try it out.

[fvrrljr]

awesome !!! going to make your recipe

[missybee79]

Thank you so much! My Grandmother used to make this and I never had the recipe.

[lrrp25]

Just finished a making small batch per your receipe. Delicious.

[Minstrelcraft]

@lrrp25 Great! Glad to hear people are actually using this. And glad you like it!

[rosewood513]

I usually give the rind to my chickens they love it, guess they will have to share it with me from now on. I hope I get alot of watermelon this year in my garden.

I always wanted to try this, thank you so much for this video.

[jefferyb304]

I just got the worst part over with LOL. Now, the white of the rind and the sugar are together in the pot. I should have it finished tomorrow. It's too late to cook.

[Minstrelcraft]

@jefferyb304 Great! That's how I made mine - let it stand overnight in the refrigerator, then cooked it the next day. Let us know how it turns out.

[jefferyb304]

@Minstrelcraft I love this !!! The taste is wonderful. The watermelon I used for this recipe is great also.  I can really taste the cinnamon and lemon.

[SolidagoCaesia]

Thank you so much for sharing this. My mother used to make watermelon rind preserves that were SO good, but unfortunately she passed away 20 years ago without writing down the recipe and I've never had them since. I will be making some myself now!

[Minstrelcraft]

@SolidagoCaesia Great! let me know how they turn out.

[CottonCandyBrandy]

This is a hard to find item, so the only real way to get it is to make it yourself. Watermelon rind has some anti oxidants in it..i have been told! is this true?? doesn't matter, i love the taste for the holidays especially!

[groyboy]

try clove instead of Cinnamon next time...cut bigger and serve with a glass of cold water. traditional Cypriot desert

[Minstrelcraft]

@groyboy Sounds good. I must try it next time I'm in Cyprus!

[jackbob49]

Dummy me ! I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention. LOL

Thanks !

[jackbob49]

You said you have a 4 cup measuring cup.

You put 3 of them full of rind in.

Then you said " You put half as much sugar in."

And you put 3 measuring cups in. The same as you did with the rind.

Could you explain please?. Thanks.

[Minstrelcraft]

@jackbob49 Yes, sorry for the confusion. The plastic measuring cup I used for the rind holds 4 cups; the glass cup I used for sugar only holds 2 cups.

[LatteBrown]

Okay, watermelon was on sale this week so I bought one with seeds. The seeded ones are larger, and two, I thought the rind would be thicker, not so on the later. Anyway, I am having biscuits and watermelon rind preserves for breakfast tomorrow. Cook's error on my first batch, but my second attempt came out perfectly. I kept my heat low, stirred and watched often. I had (8) 1/2 pint jars with a little left over for sampling. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm! Thanks for the recipe and video.

[Minstrelcraft]

@LatteBrown Thanks! Glad to see someone's actually using and enjoying the recipe.

[LatteBrown]

What did I do wrong...I tried this recipe, I simmered and simmered and my preserves took a very long time to turn translucent. By the time they appeared translucent the syrup had turned brown. I have dark brown candied watermelon rind. I hope that I can get it out of the jars! You made your batch look so good I had to try this recipe. I will try again when I get another watermelon.

[Minstrelcraft]

@LatteBrown If you cooked in an aluminum pan, that could be the reason. If not, my guess would be that the heat was too high. Hope they taste okay!

[LatteBrown]

@LatteBrown

Thanks for your response. I think after reading some of the other comments that I had the heat too high (#4 on the dial). Next time I will lower the temperature and use a themometer and cook it until 220 degrees. You made this look so easy with appealing results. No, I didn't use an aluminum pot. Anyway, I will try again. All is not lost I plan to use my candied watermelon rinds in a barbeque sauce. I hate to waste, besides they taste pretty good.

[ncfwhitetigress]

do you really need to use that much sugar?

[Minstrelcraft]

Well, I can't really say. This is the way it's always been made, as far as I know. For most of its history, sugar was a rare treat to be enjoyed, not something one would worry about eating too much of. The sugar is also, of course, what preserves the fruit. You can try adapt the recipe to use less if you like and let us know how it turns out. Thanks!

[ncfwhitetigress]

I don't need to preserve the fruit since I'd probably eat all of it within a week or two. I'll try making the recipe with agave nectar.

[mariekoran]

@ncfwhitetigress Just wondering if you got around to trying this with Agave ? I wonder if Agave has the same properties of sugar as far as preserving, though you said you would eat it quick. I imagine honey would work, considering it's great antibacterial properties, LOL, except for botulism, maybe it's properties are selective ? Course honey wouldn't work if youre going for a super-low insulin response, I just prefer it (or Agave, if it works) to sugar.

[vtxchris1]

yea i thought about leaving out the lemon peel, but my mom really likes it so it was a good recipe.

[vtxchris1]

im not sure about the temp, i cooked mine about 3 hours. a slow simmer. it did set up nice, but the taste must be aquired i guess. not too fond of it, too much lemon peel taste. reminds me of orange marmalade with that peeling taste.

[Minstrelcraft]

You could make it without the lemon peel, I suppose. For us, the lemon peel was special - getting the lemon peel was like getting the prize!

[8990steve]

My father has also talked about these. Has anyone out there made this? Is it to be cooked to 220 degrees. ??

[Minstrelcraft]

I cooked this batch until it reached 220 degrees. This is the first time I've used a thermometer; I usually just cook it until the rind iss translucent. Cooking it until it reaches 220 takes longer and makes the liquid set - very thick, like jam - you'll have to spread it with a knife. When cooked just until the rind is translucent, the syrup is more the consistency of pancake syrup. That's how my mother and grandmother always made it.

[TroutEhCuss]

Fantastic video. Only wish the lemon and cook temp was more clear in understanding.

[fortheloveofchocolat]

thanks for the video... My dad always talks about eating these in the old days. I will be happy to surprise him w/ some! :) I've never canned before so I appreciate the details!

[Minstrelcraft]

Great! Let me know how it turns out.

[fortheloveofchocolat]

so far it looks pretty good. I guess we'll know for sure when dad gets ahold of it! The lemon adds great color.

[jhof989620]

I love running across foods I've never heard of.....thanks for the video..looks really really good.

[XMelmelcomX]

That looks good, I'll be sure to add this video to my favorites and tell my grandma.

[AnimalsRock01]

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I remembered my Mother making them but didn't remember how.

Thanks again !

[meediograher]

my mom, born 1908 in tampa, always used to look everywhere for watermelon preserves, which she remembered from childhood; her sisters said she was nuts, it was just the pickles you can find anywhere! i'm so glad the internet came along to connect me wit my real heritage.

possible mods: crock pot for long cooking at low heat in summer? & how about a little beet juice instead of food coloring?

[Minstrelcraft]

Both good ideas. Thanks!

[BlindPigAndTheAcorn]

Neat! Love that the recipe has been in your family so long. Thanks for sending this my way.

[falcos]

Thanks Nathan. I hope everyone is doing well.

[mmw453]

thanks for sharing this it looks delicious.

[Debbiesblessed]

Thanks for sharing, that was awesome! I have a couple of questions, first, I noticed you used a liquid cup for the sugar, shouldnt it be a dry? Or does it not have to be right on the money, second, did you use the whole lemon peel and all?? I think I might like to try this, again, thanks so much for sharing! I love the old time stuff... I think I wouldnt want in crunch in mine. And the cheese shredder is an awesome tip for anything! Thanks !!!!

[Minstrelcraft]

The sugar amount doesn't have to be exact. I used the glass measuring cup because the one I used for the rind was damp. The lemon peel cooks to the point it's not really crunchy. It's like the peel in marmalade. Thanks for watching!

[hfpitman2]

thank you ill watch again and try to make some.

[AG3304]

lt looks good,and l bet it's a lot less expensive than a shop-bought preserve!