Mamas Watermelon Rind Preserves

Never one to waste food, why that would be a real sin down here in the South, my Mama would make the best Watermelon Rind Preserves for us to enjoy during the winter months.Now needless to say there was a plenty of them there Watermelon rinds laying around during the summer. Now my Mamas recipe involved way too much time and labor with days of soaking the rinds in a brine. So I have taken the liberty of tweeking Mamas recipe a little, I don't she would be a minding too much especially if'in she had some on one of my Angel Biscuits.

Ingredients
8 Cups diced Watermelon Rind with most of the pink lesh and thick dark skin peeled and discarded
1 Cup Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice- seeds strained
6 Strips Lemon Peel
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1 Cup Water
2 Cups Granulated Sugar
1 Piece Fresh Ginger about 1 inch in length peeled and sliced then
2 Pint Size Wide Mouth Jars with lids and rims, washed and sterilized in boiling water for 10 minutes (make sure that water covers the jars completely with the jars standing upright. Save this water and keep it at a very low boil.

In a large pot combine watermelon rinds, lemon juice, lemon peel, water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and ginger. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to a low simmer keep covered and cook for approximately 1 hour or until rind is translucent.

With a slotted spoon remove the rind from the syrup and place in the sterilized wide mouth jars. Increase the heat under the pot and boil the syrup for 10 minutes or until thicken. Use a funnel and pour the syrup over the rind in the jars filling jars to about a 1/4 inch from the top. Use a butter knife to remove any air bubbles that may be locked within the mixture in the jar. Wipe the rim of the jars, place on the lid and rims and tighten, but not too tight. Place the jars back into the boiling water that you used to sterilize the jars, make sure that water covers the jars by at least 1 inch. Reduce the heat under the pot to medium and let the jars sit for 10 minutes in the hot water. Remove jars using a tong and sit on the counter to cool. Once you hear the "Ping" of the jars sealing you can finish tightning the lids. Your Watermelon Rind Preserves will keep for about 6 months on the shelf and for about 1 month in the refridgerator once opened.

Now don't go a throwin out that there left over syrup, remember Mama doesn't take kindly to a wastin any food. Pour the left over syrup into a sterized bottle, put it in the refridgerator and use it for some homemade buttermilk pancakes on Sunday morning afore ya'll head down the road to Church and a visting folks.