Stretch those garden leftovers!
In April you can’t wait to taste the first tomato. By September you are sick of tomatoes and wondering if you can eat another one. If you are looking for a little variety or if you just want to make use of your garden items after the cool weather sets in, use these ideas to put those summer leftovers to good use!
Watermelon Pickles
3 pounds white portion watermelon rind, cubed
5 cups sugar
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. whole cloves
1 Tbsp. whole allspice
3 cinnamon sticks, 3 inches each
1 lemon, sliced
Put watermelon cubes in a large pot with enough salted water to cover. Soak overnight. Drain. Cover with fresh, cold water and bring to a boil. Cook over low heat until tender. Drain. In another large pot, combine sugar, vinegar and water. Tie cloves, allspice, cinnamon and lemon in a cheesecloth bag. Add to sugar mixture and stir over medium heat until mixture boils. Boil 5 minutes. Add watermelon cubes and simmer until translucent, about 15 minutes. Remove spice bag and pack pickles in hot, sterilized jars. Refrigerate 2 weeks before using. Makes 4 quarts.
Salsa
4 cups tomatoes (canned with juice may also be used)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, diced
2 to 3 Tbsp. lime juice (to taste)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 small, fresh jalapeno pepper, minced
salt and pepper
Cook all the ingredients in a large saucepan on medium heat for 20 minutes. Pour into hot, sterile quart jars and seal. Process in a pressure canner for 25 minutes. We use salsa frequently enough that we don’t have to can it. If you don’t can it, store it in the refrigerator. Makes 3 pints.
Photo By: tompagenet
Someone gave me a jar of watermelon pickles a very long time ago and I loved them. Then k was never able to.find any. people thought I was crazy because no one had ever heard of them. I recently found s jar in pigeon forge (even after the salesperson said she’d never heard of them). Now I can make them myself. Except, three pounds sounds like a lot of rind. could you get that from one large wstermelon?
A large 6-8 pound watermelon yields about 3 lbs.. The measurement and amount doesn’t have to be exact.
I have been doing a lot of canning this year and when I started getting all the things I needed. (I haven’t canned since I was 15) I forgot about the cheese cloth. Needed it at about midnight one night and was trying to think what could be used instead.
My husband is a big time tea drinker and has all the gadgets necessary to make individual tea for about 20 people. I found a large tea ball for a tea pot that he hadn’t used in quite a while.
Put the pickling spices into it and dropped it into the pot.
Worked great and no yucky cloth to pull out of the pot. Just the ball and dumped it into the composter re-filled it the next day and was off to the races.
Will try the pickles probably this week. Just cut a melon last night.
Never heard of them until I met my husband and he raves about them. So he built me shelves this weekend for my canning so will try these for a special treat for him.