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By Root 981 0

her in the kitchen when it was time to make our annual batch: My job was to peel the watermelon rind and cut it into one-inch cubes. After I’d seen “plantation circles”—little rounds of rind—I began using my mother’s smallest biscuit cutter. “Too much waste,” she said. So I resumed cutting the rind into cubes. Note: You need watermelon rind at least ¾ inch thick to make good pickles.

8 pounds peeled and trimmed ¾-to 1-inch-thick watermelon rind showing no traces of pink

1 cup pickling salt dissolved in 4 quarts (1 gallon) cold water (brine)

5 quarts (1 gallon plus 1 quart) water

6 pounds sugar

4½ cups cider vinegar

4 chili pequins (tiny dried red chiles)

3 blades of mace

2 cinnamon sticks, broken in two

2 tablespoons whole allspice

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon whole cloves

2 cardamom pods, bruised

2 large bay leaves, crumbled

Two 1-inch cubes fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 large lemon, sliced and seeded

1. Cut the watermelon rind into 1-inch cubes, place in a very large nonreactive kettle, add the brine, cover, and let stand overnight.

2. Next day, drain the rind, rinse well, and drain again. Also rinse the kettle. Return the rind to the kettle, add 4 quarts of the water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust the heat so the water bubbles gently and cook uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes or until the rind is crisp-tender. Drain well.

3. Place the sugar, vinegar, and remaining 1 quart water in the kettle and stir well. Tie all of the spices and the lemon slices in several thicknesses of cheesecloth and drop into the kettle. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat, then boil uncovered for 10 minutes.

4. Return the rind to the kettle, bring to a boil, adjust the heat so the pickling syrup bubbles gently, and cook uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until the rind is translucent.

5. Meanwhile, wash and rinse 8 one-pint preserving jars and their closures and submerge in a large kettle of boiling water.

6. Lift the preserving jars from the boiling water one by one. Using a slotted spoon, pack the rind snugly in the jar, leaving ¼ inch head space at the top. Ladle enough boiling pickling syrup into the jar to cover the rind, again leaving ¼ inch head space. Run a thin-blade spatula around the inside of the jar to release air bubbles; wipe the jar rim with a clean, damp cloth, then screw on the closure. Repeat until all the jars are filled.

7. Process the jars for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath (212° F.). Lift from the water bath; complete the seals, if necessary, by tightening the lids, then cool to room temperature.

8. Date and label each jar, then store on a cool, dark shelf several weeks before opening.

WILD BLACKBERRY JAM

MAKES 6 TO 8 HALF-PINTS

When my brother and I were little, we looked forward to the first flurry of blackberry blossoms along roadsides, in fields, and in woods because there’d soon be berries to pick. Not an easy task because the brambles were full of thorns and not easily accessible. Note: Wild blackberries make better jam than the cultivated because their flavor is more intense. Still, farmer’s market blackberries can be substituted as can blueberries, dewberries, and raspberries.

10 cups (2½ quarts) firm-ripe wild blackberries

6 cups sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Wash the blackberries well in cool water and drain thoroughly. Place the berries in a large bowl and crush with a potato masher. You will need exactly 9 cups of crushed berries.

2. Place the 9 cups crushed blackberries in a large, heavy nonreactive kettle; add the sugar and lemon juice, and stir well. Insert a candy thermometer.

3. Set the uncovered kettle over moderate heat and bring the berry mixture slowly to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Now cook slowly, still uncovered, stirring as needed to keep the jam from sticking to the bottom of the kettle, until the jelling point is reached (218° to 220° F.).

4. Meanwhile, wash and rinse 8 half-pint preserving jars and their closures and submerge in a large kettle of boiling water.

5.