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armenian watermelon rind preserves

Armenian Watermelon Rind Preserves

5 from 3 votes
Course: Dessert, Spread, Topping
Cuisine: Armenian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 24 tbsp (15g each)
Calories: 39kcal
Author: Kelly
Cost: $0.03 per serving
Reduce food waste by saving watermelon rinds to use in this delectable Armenian watermelon preserves recipe (known as tzmeroog rechel or tzmeroog murabba).
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups cubed watermelon rind (see Note 1)
  • tsp fine salt or 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • ¾ cups water
  • ¾ cups white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup orange juice (can substitute with water + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
  • 1 cup sugar

Instructions

  • Add watermelon rind, salt, water, and vinegar to a small pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, cover, and simmer for an hour.
  • Rinse rind thoroughly with cold water and drain. When cool enough to handle, give them a squeeze to press out excess water.
  • Add orange juice and sugar to the saucepan and return to high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, stir in the rind.
  • Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins darkening to a golden colour, as if it's starting to turn into caramel (see Note 2). Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then ladle into a glass jar.
  • At this point, you can either can it to preserve it for longer, or just store it in the fridge, where it will be good for a month.

Notes

  1. Make sure to peel and slice the watermelon rinds into no larger than 1-inch pieces. You can leave a little sliver of pink flesh on the rind if you'd like.
  2. Make sure you remove it from heat before the colour gets too dark. You don't want the syrup to actually turn into full-on caramel because then it'll solidify when cooled!

Nutrition

Calories: 39kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.003g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 72IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.04mg