From the roots up: Watermelon rind candy recipe

BY SUSAN LANE

   One of my favorite pastimes is looking at recipes. I have quite a collection of cookbooks and saved recipes on the internet. Time eludes me as I read each recipe thinking I gotta try this recipe or that one. I especially like reading Depression Era recipes. I find it inspiring to read about how our ancestors cooked, using just plain ingredients to whip up belly filling meals at a time in history when money was scarce and food was not taken for granted. Today most of us waste more than we actually eat, but there have been times throughout history where this was not the case. Throughout history there have been times when providing enough for everyone to eat was a real challenge and a skill not taken lightly. Nothing was wasted. My love for history and my love for cooking intermingle while I read these recipes.   

This week I tried one of those Depression Era recipes—a nothing wasted recipe. I made watermelon rind candy. I have wanted to make this recipe now for several years but just never got around to it. Well, this week I made it and let me tell you, it is delicious! I made it a slight bit different than my ancestors would have made it. To speed up the process I used my electric dehydrator instead of oven drying as they would have done. Peeling the watermelon was a bit of a challenge. I cut the watermelon into wedges then into slices. Then I cut out the red part and diced it up for people to eat. I tried using a knife to cut the rind off; that did not go real well; I was taking too much of the white off with the outer green. I finally ended up using a veggie peeler and it came off much easier that way. Next, I cut the slice into thin slices and washed. I ended up with a gallon size Ziploc bag full of red and white little pieces of watermelon rind. In a big pan I made a syrup of a cup of water and a cup of white granulated sugar adding in a watermelon flavor package of Kool-Aid. I heated this up until the sugar dissolved, then added my watermelon pieces. I brought to a low boil, then reduced heat and simmered, stirring every few minutes for 40 minutes. Cooled then drained off the syrup and put the pieces on my dehydrator. Mine does not have temp settings, just one speed, but it only took about seven hours to get firm, not brittle. I did not want sticky, nor did I want brittle. My candy came out kinda like gummy worms but not sticky.  

 I shared my candy with several of the girls at work. They said it was good, wanted to know what it was. When I told them, they said “no way.” It passed the taste test with my hubby and grandkids. This recipe was definitely a keeper. In fact, I made a second batch and am sending it in the mail in Ziploc bags to my grandkids back east who are just starting college. It will be a nice little treat from their grandma in the Missouri Ozarks, a reminder that I love them and wish them a successful year at school.