Pickled Watermelon Rind

Stir up the 3 quarts water and 3/4 cup salt and make a brine. Put the watermelon rind strips or cubes into the brine and refrigerate overnight. You can do this in a bowl or a well-sealed plastic bag. After its soak, drain and rinse.

Put the watermelon into a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook until melon is tender, about 15 minutes. Don’t overcook. Drain and put in a large bowl.

In that same saucepan, combine sugar, vinegar, 3 cups water, cloves, cinnamon sticks and allspice. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, then pour this over the melon. Add the lemon slices and again, refrigerate overnight.

The next day (last day, I promise), put everything back into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook one hour. Pack the hot pickles into canning jars and cover with syrup. Be sure to leave 1/2 inch head room. Allow to cool and then keep refrigerated until you eat them all. You aren’t canning these, so they’re not stable for shelf storage.