Watermelon Rind Pickles

Makes 2 quarts, recipe based on Linda Ziedrich’s Gingery Rind Pickles in the Joy of Pickling

This recipe uses up about half of a medium-sized watermelon.

1. Cut up watermelon into wedges for eating. Cut red portion off the rind and then carefully slice off the dark green portion of the peel. This process sort of takes forever, but bear with it! Stop peeling rind when you have 2-quarts’ worth of prepared rind or multiply the recipe up and can it! Stash peeled rind pieces in the fridge until you’re ready to start a two-day process with making the pickles.

2. Make a salt solution with 1/3-cup pickling salt and 5-1/3 cups water. Put rind pieces in a large mixing bowl and pour the salt solution over them. Weight with a small plate. Let sit overnight or for up to 12 hours.

3. Drain rind pieces, rinse well. Drain and rinse again. Place rinds in a large saucepan and cover with water, bring to a simmer and let rinds cook for 5 minutes and then drain. Reserve rinds until you make your syrup.

4. Make syrup by combining:

• 1-1/3 cups water
• 1-1/3 cups white wine vinegar
• 2-2/3 cups sugar

Combine in a piece of cheesecloth cinched with twine and drop into brine:

• 1 med lemon, thinly sliced
• 2 cinnamon sticks broken up
• 1 teaspoon each of whole cloves, allspice berries and cardamom seeds
• 1-inch piece of ginger sliced thinly, skin on

5. Bring brine to a simmer and let it cook for 5 minutes. Add reserved rinds and boil until translucent, which takes about 15-20 minutes.

6. Remove spice pouch and place rinds in quart jars and pour brine over to cover. Let cool on counter for an hour and then place in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

If canning, pack pint or half-pint jars with rind and pour brine over the top leaving ½-inch headspace. Prepare lids and rims for canning and process either size jar for 10 minutes in a boiling waterbath.

Visit Kate’s blog for more rind pickle photos and other small-batch canning recipes and tips: hipgirlshome.com.

The Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller is open every Sunday at Mueller‘s historic Browning Hangar off Airport Boulevard from 10-2, rain or shine. Over 40 Texas vendors sell local seasonal produce, meats, cheeses, baked goods and specialty foods with more vendors being added every week. Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller also hosts live local music, family friendly activities and chef demonstrations every week.

Find us on Facebook or sign up for our e-newsletter to keep up with all the latest news on the Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller. Be sure to head over to the Austin American-Statesman to check out the beautiful photo gallery captured on our grand opening day which was filled with lots of family-friendly activities.

We look forward to seeing you.

Ranchers + Farmers

• Countryside Farm (Cedar Creek, TX)
• Engel Farms (Fredericksburg, TX)
• Dos Lunas Artisan Cheese (Austin, TX)
• Fresh Pastures Farm (Taylor, TX)
• Green Gate Farms (Austin, TX)
• Hairston Creek Farm (Burnet, TX)
• Johnson’s Backyard Garden (Austin, TX)
• Kitchen Pride Mushroom Farm (Gonzales, TX)
• McCall Creek Farms / Itz Garden (Blanco, TX)
• McGreary Ranch (Hood County, TX)
• Microbial Earth (Austin, TX)
• Mil-King Market & Creamery (McGregor, TX)
• OrganiCare Farms (Taylor, TX)
• Pure Luck Dairy (Dripping Springs, TX)
• Round Rock Honey (Round Rock, TX)
• RRR Farm (Bastrop, TX)
• Smith & Smith Farms (Rogers, TX)
• Tecolote Farm (Manor, TX)
• Texas Hill Country Olive Company (Dripping Springs, TX)
• Winters Family Beef (Brady, TX)

Food Artisans:

•Algiani’s Indonesian Cuisine (Austin, TX)
• Buddha’s Brew Kombucha (Austin, TX)
• Cake and Spoon (Austin, TX)
• Confituras
• Dr. Rawsome (Austin, TX)
• Granola Mama (Cedar Park, TX)
• Kala’s Kusine (Austin, TX)
• Katz Coffee (Austin, TX)
• LaLa’s Lemonade (Austin, TX)
• Lamba’s Royal Indian Food (Austin, TX)
• Mom & Pops All Natural Frozen Pops (Austin, TX)
• Moonshine Sweet Tea (Lago Vista, TX)
• Pogue Mahone Pickles (Austin, TX)
• Poochie Trends Pet Boutique & Bakery (Leander, TX)
• Sweetish Hill Bakery (Austin, TX)
• Tamale Place (Austin, TX)
• The Pie Society (Austin, TX)
• The Yogurt Factory (Austin, TX)
• Zhi Tea (Austin, TX)

Recipe by Kate Payne, Author of Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking

Prepare your peaches by bringing a medium saucepan of water to a boil.  Depending on peach size, this recipe will use 1lb small (+/-2”) peaches whole or 2lbs larger peaches halved and pitted.  For both sizes, drop peaches whole into boiling water and let them sit for as long as it takes for the water to return to a boil (2-3 minutes).

1. Drop peaches into an ice bath while you prepare your syrup.
2. Place 1/3 cup honey, 1-1.5 cups water, 2 Tbs. lemon juice in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over med-low heat.  Remove pan from heat.
3. Peel small peaches (or peel, pit and halve larger peaches) dropping them directly into syrup saucepan as you go.
4. Once all peaches are in the syrup, simmer for 5 minutes.  Skim foam if necessary.
5. Place a slice of fresh ginger (optional) or any dry spices directly into one quart jar.
6. If water-bath canning is necessary, multiply brine recipe by amount of peaches you have.  Leave ½ inch head-space and process quart jars for 25 minutes.  Otherwise, loosely cap jar, let sit on the counter to cool for an hour and then place in the fridge.  Keeps for about 3 months.

Visit Kate’s blog for canning tips, contact info and recipes: hipgirlshome.com

Made at Cedar Park Farmers Marker on Saturday, June 16th 2012

• 3 squash (any variety)
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• 1/8 cup flour or cornmeal or mixture (I use soy flour)
• 1 egg
• ¾ teaspoon Black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon oil
Can also add a diced jalapeno or other peppers

Directions:

• Grate the squash with a cheese grater (or use your food processor) into mixing bowl.
• Add the cheese, onion and egg.
• Mix together and then add flour/cornmeal until it is almost a dry mix.
• Heat oil in skillet and drop spoon size/or patties amounts of mixture into hot oil and flatten to make into shape of pancake.
• Fry until golden brown and sprinkle with salt.

Use yellow squash, pumpkin or zucchini flowers plus the small fruit for this favorite recipe that is popular in Italy as well as Mexico. If you are lucky enough to have a garden and plant any type of squash, you will know how prolific they are. Nipping off the blossoms will help tame the harvest and help the remainders that grow into fruit.  Click to view recipe!