Weekly WON Tip

Pickling WON "0" WON:
Pickling fruits and vegetables is a delicious way to utilize all the beautiful produce from your garden or the farmers market.  You can pickle just about anything, which means you won’t see an abundance of uneaten produce go to waste.  Remember these tips when pickling your favorite garden fruit or vegetable:

• Pickling is about the vinegar and salt, not the sweetness so watch for recipes that call for more than ¼ cup of sugar. 
• You never want to substitute table salt for Kosher or Himalayan salt. 
• Balance out your vinegar with water to keep flavors from being too harsh and biting. Your vinegar should have at least 4-6% acetic acid.
• Red wine vinegar will turn all your fruits and vegetables pink! 
• Don’t be afraid to use fresh herbs and to try new combinations.
• Pickle your produce separately, as certain fruits and vegetables will be ready to eat at different rates.

After your next BBQ, save those watermelon rinds and give this recipe a try!

Watermelon Rind Kickers (refrigerator pickles only)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 cup distilled water
• 4 Tsp. fine grain Himalayan Sea Salt
• 3/4 cup Coconut Sugar or Raw Cane Sugar
• 1/4 cup Organic Ginger-cut into chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon Chili Pepper Flakes
• 1 Tsp. Allspice Berries
• 1 Star Anise Pod
• 1 Organic Lemon-slice thin
• 2 lbs Organic Watermelon Rind (about a 5 lb watermelon)

Directions:
Scoop melon from rinds, leaving ¼-1/2 inch of red flesh.  Using a vegetable peeler take off the tough outer green layer of rind and then cut into cubes one inch in size.  Bring all other ingredients to a boil over medium heat and hold boil for 60 seconds.  Carefully add the watermelon rind and return to a boil before taking the pan off the heat.  Let cool for 30 minutes. Place the watermelon rinds into jars and pour as much of the pickling juices as possible over them.  Cover the jar and leave at room temperature for an additional 1 ½ hours.  Place them in the refrigerator for 8 hours and enjoy!  Consume within one month and always keep them refrigerated. These are delicious in a salad, with anything off the grill, or as a side dish with crumbled cheese of your choice.

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