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Saturday, June 16, 2012

Watermelon rind preserves with ginger, rose and cardamom

While preparing our watermelon salad last weekend I looked at the rind I was removing and remembered reading about watermelon rind preserves.  I think it is an idea from the American South but I might be wrong, I don't think watermelons are native there?*  Anyway, I've never eaten it or seen it in real life but making it seemed like a good idea.  It obviously appeals to my dislike of throwing things away...

Makes approx 2 small jars.

5 cups diced watermelon rind
2.5 cups sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice
~7 strips of lemon rind
1 in piece of ginger, cut into thin slices
1-2 tbsp dried rose petals
1 tsp rose water
8 whole green cardamom pods
1 small cinnamon stick

To prepare the rind, cut off the outer green peel and the inner red flesh (if you haven't already eaten the watermelon - I had just saved all the pieces left from eating the flesh - don't worry about removing all the red), then dice the white rind into 0.5-1 cm cubes.  Our watermelon was one of the 'mini' ones, with fairly thick rind (I think the rind is thicker if the watermelon is a bit underripe), and I prepped the rind from 3/4 of the watermelon to make 5 cups.

In a large pan, mix the diced rind with the sugar (use half as many cups of sugar as rind).  Cover and leave overnight in the fridge, or for at least 2 hours, until a lot of liquid has come out of the rind and the rind pieces are effectively sitting in syrup.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and simmer covered for 2 hours.  It will go golden-brown, and the rind pieces will become transparent.  After 2 hours, remove the lid and boil fast for 15 minutes.  Leave it for 10 minutes to cool slightly, then put in sterilised jars while still hot (I didn't bother removing the cardamom pods etc, you could try but it'd be a fiddle getting them out of the burning hot jam, and they look quite pretty - will just need to make sure people are aware of their presence and don't eat them by accident).


This worked really well, I was surprised - I thought it was going to be just an exercise in using stuff I'd usually throw away, and was kind of worried I'd end up with something runny and not very appealing.  When I'd finished boiling it it looked really liquid and I didn't think it was going to set, but it set beautifully.  It reminds me of apple or marrow jam, in that the rind is a fairly bland-tasting, textural background for whatever spices or flavours you may add.  The end result looks really pretty and tastes fairly subtle but pleasantly fragrant.

*OK, I've figured it out: watermelon rind preserving IS a thing in the South, but they make a vinegary pickle, not a jam.
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