Watermelon Pickles

Recipe is from Lola.

1 large firm watermelon
Sugar
Salt
Alum
Vinegar
2 tsp whole cloves
2 sticks whole cinnamon, broken up
1 tsp ground mace
1 small lemon
1 small orange

Wash outside of large uncut melon. Peel outside of melon with carrot peeler, keeping peels as thin as possible. Cut melon into 1 ½-inch slices; cut in half. Cut watermelon meat out of each slice, leaving a portion of the pink on the rind, and store in covered jars in refrigerator. Cut rinds diagonally with grooved cutter to make large chunky diamond-shaped pieces. (Use the cutter we use for carrots.)

Weigh cut-up rind on kitchen scales. Weigh out an equal amount of sugar and set aside.

Put watermelon rind into large kettle. Cover with cold water, measuring water as it’s poured on. For each quart of water used, add 1 TB salt (not iodized). Let stand in cool place over night. In the morning put kettle onto stove and bring water to a boil; boil 45 minutes. Drain. Cover watermelon rind again with cold water, measuring the water in the same manner. For each quart of cold water used, add 1 TB powdered alum. Bring to boil and continue boiling 45 minutes. Drin, rinse well with cold water and drain again.

Cover with clean cold water, measuring water again and jotting down the measurement. (This determines the amount of vinegar used later). Bring to boil again and cook 45 minutes. Add sugar; boil 45 minutes. Measure out one-third as much vinegar as amount of water used, and add to watermelon rind along with spices that have been tied into a bag. Bring to a boil and cook 45 minutes more. Discard spices.

While pickles are cooking, wash lemon and orange and cut each in half; slice very thin into half slices. When pickles have barely finished cooking, place one orange half slice on bottom of each clean hot jar, 2 whole cloves on top, then pack hot pickles into jar, lay lemon slice and 2 whole cloves on top, fill with hot syrup, adjust top and seal. Makes 12-15 pints. Chill before serving. (Pickles should be transparent, spicy, thick and chunky.)