Pickling Salt Primer

• Pickling salt is simply salt that does not contain additives. It is fine, pure, granulated salt and is commonly sold as canning and pickling salt at most supermarkets. It differs from table salt in that it does not contain common anti-caking agents such as dextrose, yellow prussiate of soda and sodium bicarbonate, all of which leave a white haze and sediment when dissolved in water. Pickling salt is sometimes labeled as sea salt as well, though the name sea salt is not regulated by the government and occasionally table salt will be labeled as such. If you do use sea salt, ensure that it is pure and white, as gourmet pink and black salts can also adversely affect the pickling process.

Watermelon Pickle Basics

• A Southern favorite, watermelon pickles are made using the otherwise discarded white rind beneath the watermelon's red flesh. To make these pickles, cut the red flesh away from the white rind and then also remove the outer green skin. Using the remaining 1/4-inch- to 1/2-inch-thick pieces cut into small squares, you pickle the rinds using a combination of spices, vinegar and sugar. Cloves, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon and ginger are all common flavorings used when pickling watermelon.

Watermelon Pickling Process

• Salt doesn't always play a part in the watermelon pickling process. When it is used, it is most commonly at the beginning of the process, to remove excess moisture from the watermelon rinds and brine them in preparation for pickling. When salt is not used, pickling lime is commonly utilized instead to create a crisp pickle. Once the watermelon is prepared, a syrup made primarily of vinegar, sugar and water is created and boiled together with a spice bag of seasonings to infuse the spices' flavors. The rinds are then simmered in this syrup until translucent, and then packed into jars for canning.

Watermelon Pickle Variations

• In the United States, watermelon pickles commonly refer to the sweet, pickled watermelon rind varieties made popular in the South. However, in other parts of the world, the whole watermelon with its flesh is pickled using a combination of vinegar and savory seasonings like dill and cayenne. While these whole watermelon pickles make nice fresh pickles, they cannot be canned in the same way as sweetened watermelon rind pickles. When making fresh watermelon pickles, using canning salt is not as important because they will not be displayed or served in their brine.