pickled watermelon rind part 2, basil pickles and chow chow part 1

I had no idea what to expect with the watermelon rinds. It is a mix of cinnamon stick, cloves and lemon in vinegar and sugar over top. It smelled like Christmas. And it's pretty tasty. I'm glad I just did a little and in little jars. I can see it making a good condiment but not something you'd need a lot of.


Basil pickles sounds like they will be good. I made them just like dill pickles but with basil; red onion, garlic, black pepper, vinegar and salt brine.


This is part one of the chow chow that is cooking right now. I got the recipe from a Lallybroch friend: Mairghread Murray. This is from a cookbook called 'Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens' (Nimbus Publishing) -

15 pounds green tomatoes
5 pounds onions
1/2 cup salt
...1 qt. vinegar
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp allspice
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dry mustard
3 cups sugar
cayenne pepper (if desired)

Prepare vegetables and sprinkle with salt. Let stand overnight. In the morning, drain. To 1 cup vinegar add the spices, mustard and sugar, Add to the remaining vinegar and pour over vegetables. Boil for two hours or more and then bottle.

I didn't have just the right spices to I used turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne, mustard seeds and just a little red pepper flakes. It smells fantastic.