Some days I feel as though we have spent the summer saving watermelon rinds and then throwing them away. We made some into a rhubarb-watermelon rind jam for the shop. The rest seem to sit in the refrigerator, taunting me every time I open the door. We've done a lot with them in the past: smoking, pickling, searing, spicing, poaching, pressure cooking, and even riffing off BBQ. This year I'm just not feeling the love for the rinds.
I pickled one batch and discovered that ambivalence just doesn't taste good and ended up throwing them in the bin. There's this "use everything" mentality that pervades the culinary world right now. We want to be responsible and sustainable. We don't want to waste good food but--there's a huge amount of rind on every melon. It seems irresponsible to throw them away. We're not farmers, there are no animals to feed them too. We don't compost because every time we've tried it's been a disaster. Did I mention that we seem to have a matching set of black thumbs? Okay, the puppy loves eating chilled watermelon rinds but she can only eat so much--and I'm sure someone will now post a comment telling me the rinds are toxic to dogs or some other such thing.
It's the guilt that's driving me and guilt does not inspire creativity. I've decided that from now on it's going to be okay to throw them out. We don't have a restaurant. There are only three mouths to feed on a regular basis and while everyone who walks through our doors will happily scarf down large quantities of melon, nobody wants the rinds. We can't give them away and I'm going to stop trying. I just can't seem to drum up any enthusiasm for them this year and that has to be okay. Besides, once I give myself permission to throw them away, I'll probably think of something wonderful to make with them. Maybe.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
