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Fermented Watermelon Rind Pickles | Real Food RN

Fermented Watermelon Rind Pickles

Kate
Don't waste those watermelon rinds! You can ferment them and turn them into pickled rinds. They are delicious as a refreshing summer afternoon snack.
4.41 from 10 votes
Course Snack
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Grain-Free
Servings 2 Half-gallon jars

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Slice watermelon, removing the pink flesh to eat. I place a cutting board inside of a cookie sheet so the juice does not run all over.
  • Trim green outer layer off of the rind and discard.
  • Chop peeled rind into 1″ pieces, making them as evenly shaped as possible.

  • Place the chopped rind into a clean half-gallon glass jar.
  • I filled two half-gallon glass jars with the rind from one medium watermelon.
  • Heat the water until boiling.
  • Add in salt and stir until dissolved (note, my water looks “dirty” in this pic because I use real salt and it has minerals and other goodies in it that look a little different than the traditional white table salt).
  • Add in your flavorings of choice to the jar.

  • Pour brine over watermelon rind in jars, until the neck of the jar (do not overfill). I use a funnel to do this.

  • Place your airlock lid onto the jars, because the airlock system is seriously the easiest way to go!
  • Cover the jars with a dark towel and place in a moderate temperature area, the warmer it is the faster they ferment. Keep it covered so the fermentation is not affected by sunlight.
  • Allow to ferment 3-5 days, you can taste them after three to see if you like the flavor. The longer they ferment, the sourer they will taste.
  • Place a plastic lid on the jar (metal will rust) and put the pickles in the fridge. They will last quite a while in the fridge, we have not had a batch go bad yet!
    Watermelon Rind Pickles
Keyword Fermented Watermelon Rind Pickles, fermented watermelon rinds, watermelon rind pickles