Pomona can be used and with less sugar if you prefer. A bit of grated lemon rind can be used instead of the lemon grass.

Good luck if you try it! I used the recipe that I think Carol posted in response to the "beginning canner - lots of questions (this is long)". It is the very first thing that didn't turn out! It was like thick water with little teeny watermelon chunks in it. I guess it was silly to try since watermelon is all water anyway. If it works for you, let us know! Maybe I'll be gullible and try it again :)

That was the watermelon preserve, wasn't it? I'm sorry it didn't turn out. I wonder if today's watermelons are less meaty for those old recipes. I think it would take underripe melons and even then it's hard to see how real "chunks" of melon would survive the cooking.

Sherri, I have some homegrown watermelons. If enough ripen for "spares," maybe I'll try a small (very small, LOL) version of that recipe and see how it goes.

I think Pomona would work fine, Melly. But I have to say that recipe doesn't do it for me. It seems closer to a condiment, doesn't it?

My problem with both those recipes is I think there are some things that are not "meant" and watermelon in any kind of preserve is one of them.

I made watermelon pickles once. After that I decided the best use for the rind is compost.

Carol

Well at least this is supposed to be jelly, so no little chunks allowed. With commercial pectin, hopefully it would set and maybe be fresher tasting since it wouldn't have to cook for so long.

Carol, what are watermelon rind pickles like? I was all set to make the recipe from Small Batch Preserving when I realized it took 3 days & I was leaving town in 2 days. I saw them used as a garnish for watermelon martinis & I love pickles, but you say they're not worth the trouble?

Melissa

I should have clarified on the watermelon preserves that I posted the recipe to further discussion with the original poster who had a question but hadn't included the recipe. I haven't made watermelon preserves.

sherribaby, if I were rating preserves 1-10 on difficulty, watermelon ones would probably rate an 11. I think an experienced preserver would have to pull every trick out of his/her hat to get a preserve with discernable chunks floating in a pink syrup. Not that it can't be done but it's definitely tricky.

Melissa, it's been probably 30 years since I made watermelon pickles. In fairness, I was using a recipe in a cookbook I eventually got rid of because too many of the proportions seemed all wrong. I made a peach-ginger chutney from that book that practically took my head off. Way, way too much ginger. Now I have more experience under my belt and could probably look at the recipe and know how to tweak it for better results.

I think of watermelon pickles as Southern. They're a sweet pickle. Prep is the problem, especially because the rinds today are a lot thinner, so you have much more peeling to get the quantity than people used to.

Below is a recipe from a cookbook I absolutely trust. I probably should have made these in the first place.

3-Day Watermelon Pickles

"They're worth the effort." "Farm Journal's Freezing and Canning Cookbook"

8 qts. watermelon rind (7 pounds)
7 cups sugar
2 cups 5% vinegar
1/4 tsp. oil of cloves (or 1 T. whole cloves)
1/4 tsp. oil of cinnamon (or 3 sticks whole cinnamon)
Red food coloring (optional)

1. Choose a melon with thick, firm rind. Trim off outer green skin and pink flesh, leaving very thin line of pink. Stamp out rind with small cookie cutter or cut into neat 1" squares. Place in 2-gallon crock.

2. Cover rind with salt water solution (1/4 c. canning salt to 1 qt. water) and soak 2 hours; drain; rinse.

3. Place rind in 4-quart kettle and cover with cold water. Bring to boil. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes; drain. Place in 2-gal. crock.

4. Combine sugar, vinegar and spices. (Tie whole spices in a bag.) Heat to boiling. Add coloring, if desired. Pour over rind. Let stand overnight at room temperature.

5. Drain off syrup; heat to boiling and pour over rind again. Let stand overnight.

6. Heat rind in syrup. Remove spice bag, if using whole spices. Pack rind into 8 sterilized hot pint jars. Cover with syrup, filling to within 1/4" of top. Wip rim; adjust lids.

7. Process in boiling water bath 5 minutes. Makes 8 pints.

* note: for optimal pickles don't use an overripe melon or one grown late in the season.

Watermelon "Sweetmeat" Preserves

from "Pickles and Preserves" Marion Brown, 1955, reprinted University of North Carolina Press

6 cups watermelon rind (trimmed of green outside skin and all soft pink inside pulp)
7 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1/2 ounce ginger root, broken up

Cut preppped rind into pieces. Cover with water and boil 2 hours or until tender. Cool in the water. Drain and measure to make 6 cups. Boil together the other ingredients for 10 minutes. Add the rind and cook for about 1 hour, or until the rind is transparent. Always keep the rind covered with syrup while cooking. If the syrup is too thin, add additional sugar; if too thick, add water. Remove from heat. Seal hot in sterilized jars. (I'd process BWB as per jam.)

Well, if anyone gives these a shot let us know. Hmmn. Maybe I'll give watermelon pickles another try.

Carol

Watermelon rind pickles used to be a standard at church suppers and grange affairs. I loved them when I was a kid - very sweet and slightly acid with a flavor that was almost entirely spice. They didn't use ginger but broken cinnamon, cloves and allspice tied in a cheesecloth bag. It's important to remove any trace of pink because it gets soggy and these pickles should be crisp.

Splenda web site has a recipe for a watermelon lemon aid drink. They mention running the watermelon through a blender and then strain it to remove the solids. In a jelly, it may not be a strong enough flavor, unless you can add things like a Koolaid packet or two for added 'imitation' flavor to enhance it a bit.

A few tips before you start with watermelon.
This is not a recipe just tips to help you.

For those just trying use a juicer it separates and its ready to boil. Bring it to a full roaring boil that cant be stirred down.Then follow your directions adding ingredients as to the recipe you chose. A few tips before you start Stir constantly then stir in pectin all at once! Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute,I'm expressing the one minute! stirring constantly. Remove from heat skim off foam . Ladle into jars. Some say there's wont gel the detail is on the Pectin box distinctly separates fruit w/pectin-vs bowl of sugar on side to be added later. then briefly fast boil( the one minute reference)!! If you boil it over the 1 minute you have killed your pectin is plain english.You will have syrup.
I will let you all no if I like this recipe.I no I will have to alter that lemon possibly to orange will let you all no lemons just seem to take all the original taste out to me.