Watermelon Rind Pickle
Source: Martha McCulloch-Williams, 1913
History
"Watermelon Rind Pickle" is recorded in Martha McCulloch-Williams's "Dishes & Beverages of the Old South" (1913). The soaked rind is scalded in strong ginger tea and left barely simmering two minutes, then skimmed out into another kettle with equal quantities of cloves, mace, allspice and cinnamon, half as much grated nutmeg, the same of whole peppercorns, several pods of Cayenne, and white mustard and celery seed. It is covered with cider vinegar — "the only sort that will keep pickles well" — brought just to the boil, put down hot in jars, tied down after cooling and set in a dark, cool place.
That insistence on cider vinegar is the kind of detail that comes from having lost a batch to the wrong sort.
The historical record does not document a specific earlier origin for this particular pickle.
"Dishes & Beverages of the Old South" is a mixture of recipes and plantation reminiscence. McCulloch-Williams was a white writer born near Clarksville, Tennessee, who grew up on a plantation before the Civil War; the book's dedication is "to our Mammys," and much of the cooking it records is the work of enslaved and formerly enslaved Black women it does not name.
Ingredients
- watermelon rind
- ginger tea
- equal quantities cloves
- equal quantities mace
- equal quantities allspice
- equal quantities cinnamon
- half as much nutmeg
- half as much whole peppercorns
- several pods Cayenne pepper
- white mustard seed
- celery seed
- cider vinegar
- 1.5 pounds sugar
Instructions
- Scald the soaked watermelon rind in strong ginger tea and let it simmer gently for two minutes. Remove and skim out the rind, then lay it in another kettle.
- Add equal quantities of cloves, mace, allspice, and cinnamon, along with half as much grated nutmeg and whole peppercorns, several pods of Cayenne pepper, white mustard seed, and celery seed. Cover with cider vinegar.
- Bring just to the boil, then put down hot in jars. Tie down after cooling and set in a dark, cool, airy place.
- For sweet pickle: After preparing and seasoning the rind and spices, measure the vinegar. To each pint of vinegar, add one and a half pounds of sugar. Boil together for one minute, stirring well and skimming clean. Pour over the rind and spices, keep hot for ten minutes without boiling, then put into jars. If a less sweet pickle is preferred, use only half a pound of sugar per pint of vinegar.