Pickling has preserved food as far back as 2400 B.C. But there are still surprising pickle recipes out there. One such recipe found its way to Reddit and features a baffling ingredient: watermelon rinds.
The scoop
In a post shared to r/ZeroWaste, one Redditor shared a photo of their pickled watermelon rinds. Even the most rabid fan of pickles may have reservations about these. If you are inspired to give it a go, the OP included a complete recipe.
To prepare your pickles, start by peeling the green off your rind and removing the majority of the red watermelon flesh as well. Cut the rind into slices or spears that will fit well in your (hopefully recycled) jar. Add peppercorns to the bottom of the jar and then pack your rinds in nice and tight.
Next, you will need to prepare your brine. This recipe calls for 1 cup of boiling water, 1 cup of vinegar, 2 tablespoons of salt, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Once the salt and sugar have dissolved completely, remove the mixture from the heat, and add one teaspoon of vanilla extract. The OP says this vanilla step can depend on preference.
Once your jar and brine are ready to go, simply pour the liquid over your rinds. "Leave for 2 mins then cover tightly," the OP writes. "Once at room temp, shake to distribute peppercorns, etc , then place in the fridge. Can be eaten as soon as 3 hours, but taste better the longer they sit!"
They also warn that these pickles need to be refrigerated but could last up to three months.
How it's working
Recipes using every part of a fruit or vegetable are a great way to cut down on your waste while stretching your budget. You can make candied citrus peels, tepache from pineapple skin, and broth from veggie scraps.
If you are interested in expanding your pickle horizons, you can also try pickling invasive species, including Japanese knotweed. This aggressive plant can be foraged and prepared in several ways.
Ideas such as these help you do more with your groceries — you can save close to $100 a year by cutting down your food waste by just 10%. In the United States, food waste is a huge issue, with up to 40% of our food supply ending up in the landfill. The Department of Agriculture found that in 2010 wasted food was worth $161 billion. This issue has become so pronounced that the Biden administration announced a first-of-its-kind program to combat food waste.
What people are saying
Commenters were surprised by this recipe but applauded the OP's creativity.
"Thank you for posting this!" one home cook said. "… Sounded terrible but the results are surprisingly amazing."
"I've never heard of pickled watermelon rinds (I'm in Scotland), but I love both pickled stuff and watermelon so will definitely be trying this!" another person wrote.
Someone else commented: "What??? This is a thing?!? You have just changed my world."
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