Watermelon rind curry.

Recipe and photos by Agatha B.

When one of our CSA Members, Agatha, emailed the farm with this recipe, we knew we had to share. It's just too weird, and unique, not to. The best part? After e-mailing us her watermelon rind curry recipe, Agatha sent over her watermelon rind pickle recipe! Scroll to the bottom of this post for pickle. Thank you Agatha, for your kind words about our veggies, and also for these amazingly creative recipes!

Hey lovely farmers, I wanted to thank you for the beautiful food and to celebrate watermelon. I'm not sure if we're getting more-- but if we do, I'm definitely making more of this curry.

much appreciation, Agatha

p.s. The recipe is also easy to cut in half-- which is what I did because I'd turned the rest into refrigerator pickles.)

WATERMELON RIND CURRY

• 4-5 c. watermelon rind with the dark green exterior removed, chopped into about 1/4 – 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 c. finely chopped onions and/or leeks (soft white part of leeks)
• 1 T. oil
• 1/2 t. cumin seeds
• 6 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T. ginger, minced
• 1/2 serrano pepper, seeds removed, minced
• 1 t. paprika
• 1 t. coriander powder
• 1/2 t. amchur (dried green mango powder; this is optional. Sub a squeeze of lemon juice if amchur is unavailable)
• 1/4 t. turmeric powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 c. water (more, if needed)
• 1/4 t. garam masala

Heat oil in a pot or 12-inch cast iron pan. When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds. When they sizzle and/or pop, add onion/leeks. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the soften and begin to brown. Add garlic, ginger, and pepper and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add paprika, coriander powder, amchur, turmeric, and salt. And stir until the onions, leeks, and garlic are coated. Add watermelon and water; mix well.

Cook covered for about 10-12 minutes total, stirring 3-4 times. If the water evaporates and the curry starts sticking, add a little more water.

When the rind is soft and most of the water is absorbed, and add the garam masala. Mix well and cook with the lid removed for another couple minutes.

Serve as a side dish with flatbread or over a grain like rice. The flavors only get better after a few days!

Watermelon rind and cucumber pickles by Agatha!

SWEET WATERMELON RIND PICKLE

• enough peeled and cubed watermelon chunks to fill a pint-sized mason jar + a small handful of extra pieces (the pieces of rind shrink a little after sitting in the warm brine)
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 c. cider vinegar
• 1-2 T. sugar (depends on your taste)
• 2 t. salt
• 1 T. ginger (about 1”) in slices
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1/4 t. black peppercorns

Scoop/slice out melon leaving about 1/4-1/2 inch of red flesh.

Peel off outer dark green skin with vegetable peeler and then cut rind into about 1-inch cubes.

Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, ginger, salt and spices to a boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan (2-quart). Hold the boil for 60 seconds then carefully add the watermelon. Return to a boil and turn off the heat. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 30 minutes.

Put the rind in the mason jar with the cardamom, pepper, and ginger. Pour on as much of the pickling juice as possible. Seal the jar and leave at room temperature for another one and half hours. Store in the refrigerator.