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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
A dessert made literally from trash. From that white part of the watermelon you just threw away.
In the south there were so many watermelons that the rinds were hauled away by cart. And someone realized the obvious thing: the white part is a firm, almost flavor-neutral flesh that holds its shape well and can take on any taste you give it.
So it's the perfect base. It just doesn't have its own character, and that's exactly why it was considered refuse.
The finished preserve comes out amber, transparent, with pieces that are crunchy, like candied peel. People who taste it for the first time usually can't guess what it's made from.
Now how to make it, and the sequence is important.
Recommendation: cut off all the green rind down to the last millimeter and all the pink flesh. Only the white should remain. The green will give bitterness; the pink will break down into mush.
Cut into cubes or strips about two centimeters.
Next is the step most people skip, but it determines the crunch. Soak the rinds in a baking soda solution, one teaspoon of baking soda per liter of cold water, and leave for four hours. Baking soda strengthens the pectin in the cell walls, and the pieces stay firm instead of falling apart. Then rinse very thoroughly, changing the water three times.
Make the syrup: for a kilogram of rinds, one kilogram of sugar and a cup of water.
Pour the boiling syrup over the rinds and leave overnight. Do not boil.
The next day bring to a boil, cook for five minutes, and leave overnight again. Repeat this three times.
This step-by-step scheme is exactly what makes the pieces transparent. If you boil everything at once, the sugar won't have time to penetrate, and you'll get caramel on the outside and water inside.
On the last round add lemon juice, vanilla, and a few mint leaves.
It's ready when a piece becomes semi-transparent and the syrup strings off the spoon.
Nothing is truly useless. There is only what no one wanted to invest in.
Enjoy.
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