A Financial Pickle

Spit out the pits and throw away the rind......well that is just wasteful! In the good old days our grandparents made a delicious sweet and spicy snack out of all those watermelon discards. We really could learn from the old days of waste not want not instead of our present motto of waste everything and want even more.
It all has to start somewhere so why not with this recipe. I am sure there will be no shortage of watermelon rinds this holiday weekend or the rest of the summer for that matter. It just makes sense to get the most we can out of the things we spend our hard earned money on....so in this particular instance it's not such a bad thing to find yourself in a bit of a pickle!

Watermelon Rind Pickles

3 lbs. prepared rinds
2 c. white vinegar
1 stick of cinnamon
1 tbsp. whole allspice
5 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 tbsp. whole cloves
1 whole lemon

Prepare rinds by peeling skin and removing all pink flesh from rind and cut into pieces 2 x 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide. Let stand overnight in salt water (2 tablespoons salt to 1 quart water), drain. Cover with fresh water and boil until tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain. While water boils in another pan mix sugar, vinegar and water. Put spices in a cheese cloth bag. Add the lemon slices whole, rind and all. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Add rinds and cook until transparent. Remove cheese cloth bag of spices. Turn into clean hot jars and seal.