Candied Watermelon Rind

Watermelon is my favorite fruit of all! Honestly, I could eat a whole watermelon in one day. Not in one sitting, of course! Haha. I cut it into pieces and enjoy it throughout the day. 😊

When my family was living in Moscow, I learned from a Russian friend that watermelon rind is nutritious too. That little piece of information stayed with me for years. So I did a little research and found out that watermelon rind does have nutritional value.

I decided to give it a try, and I was pleasantly surprised by how good it turned out! It’s delicious—actually, I think it tastes even better than some store-bought candy.

And why throw away the rind when you can turn it into something delicious?

Ingredients:

• 4 cups watermelon rind, with a little red flesh
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• Granulated sugar, for coating

1. Slice the watermelon rind, leaving a little red flesh attached. Cut into pieces about 1½ cm thick.
2. Put the water and sugar in a deep pan. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil.

3. Add the watermelon rind and simmer until most of the liquid evaporates and the sugar starts to caramelize.
4. Place the caramelized watermelon rind on cooking paper and let it cool.

Put some granulated sugar on a plate or in a bowl. Roll each piece of caramelized rind in the sugar to coat.

Tips:

• Don’t worry if the caramelized rind is too hard to break at first. It will soften after a few hours.
• I caramelize the rind to speed up the drying process.
• You can also remove the pan from the heat when the sugar and water have reduced and the mixture starts to bubble and thicken. This makes it easier to transfer the rind to cooking paper without caramelizing it completely. However, you will need to wait a few hours or even a day for the rind to dry.
• Alternatively, you can dry the rind in a very low oven until it reaches your desired texture.
• If you have leftover caramelized sugar in the pan, place it on cooking paper, let it cool completely, then break it into pieces and roll them in granulated sugar.
• I used aluminum foil before, but some of the caramel stuck to it. Cooking paper works much better!
• The caramelized rind may be hard to break at first, but don’t worry—it will become softer after a few hours.

Whenever watermelon is in season, I save the rinds instead of throwing them away. I make candied watermelon rind and put it straight into a jar. Just like that, I have a sweet little snack ready to enjoy anytime! 🍉😊