I love watermelon! I could eat watermelon everyday and not get tired of it! When we harvested 30+ watermelons from our farm, I was I watermelon bliss! However, I quickly remembered that watermelons only keep for 2-4 weeks before they can get mushy or sour. So, I had to come up with a strategy to make the most out of all of these delicious watermelons.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_3teFnBamHTI2Si8z7YUJYqaTXV6dISCny_nmCQxGXVoRMCEsw2rMy6dpBlUHuCAT9f9b4CAMIuliWlmYXZDzlpvZb9A8rmCve5315tVfccHy6cQbpQ581eOo9b_pp7agMX1WzZ4tRk/s400/Harvesting.jpg) |
Harvested watermelons |
First, I decided to pile up all of the watermelons in my car and drive my "melon-mobile" around to deliver watermelons to friends and family. I gave away about half of the melons and felt good about feeding others with our organic produce. They all seemed very happy to receive the melons too. :)
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Melon-mobile makes its deliveries |
The remaining watermelons were not so visually attractive because of scars or imperfections, but they were still tasty! So, I ate AND I ATE watermelon until I could eat watermelon no more. I cut watermelon in half and ate it with a spoon. I sliced it up and ate it that way. I even ate it on a stick like a popsicle! :)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqKEs1_7o4fK2xA_kEXzZUiQx9B8Qv3d6cW2hpaLMJhyphenhyphen0N1rS5GlAgbIaCX0PWZjXhI-L449-m4XqXko0XFdy3rtDnpJTn8YC4_0s35BERNYZoyYwV2ujk00v0xV0Na503mD4wZsOejY/s320/Whole+and+slices.jpg) |
I ate A LOT OF WATERMELON |
After all that watermelon eating, I almost reached a point where I didn't want to eat watermelon anymore, so I decided to look up a few recipes for preserving watermelon. I found two,
pickled watermelon rinds and
watermelon jelly.
Pickled watermelon rinds may not sound that appealing, but they are preserved in a cinnamon and allspice sugar syrup and almost taste like candy. In order to make them, it is a 2-day process of peeling, soaking, and cooking. When they are finally done, they are these beautiful pieces of watermelon rind in a golden amber syrup. I love that gorgeous color! :)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCPD7SpceR5HDDH371InumE9zef_aiUQNyMSzovaxB5IFjk9Z67delDXdWxtOwY2xZgikE28oH_i9ICJJxD5kTnfATk4uk5DdstR-dwZ9AR0aqdjUGBXmW4xAT0jybERwoaGSEUj85nM/s400/Watermelon+rinds.jpg) |
Pickled watermelon rinds |
The watermelon jelly was not as time consuming, but still tricky. I decided to make a sugar-free version, so I could share with my mom who has diabetes. Instead of 3+ cups of sugar, I used 2 cups of a cherry juice concentrate and some lemon juice. It turned out wonderful and tastes like watermelon-cherry jelly. When spread on a warm piece of toast, it goes FAST!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAf8ko7lX8JS54mZxLfQBOcnDRmzRc5ZMZg-WhxH312o7grPVxdlVb9PBnun9YWkuUefQ5PZGiHxOsta0Xe7URHztCf0ZvSi04OngR-qlmxcmq_CWTppRGBitLstiMrS95TKkOPXmmJQ0/s400/Jelly.jpg) |
Watermelon-cherry jelly |
We have used up most of the watermelons now and I have plenty of canned watermelon products to last me through the winter and maybe until next watermelon season!
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Pickled watermelon rinds and watermelon jelly |