Watermelon Spoon Sweet

In Greece when it comes to spoon sweets (and other things in Greek cuisine) we almost don't waste anything!- anything that has even the slightest possibility to become a nice preserve gets into a large saucepan! The watermelon rind (because that's the part we use for this spoon sweet) if it's made properly can be so tasty and crunchy and aromatic! It's one of those spoon sweets that needs the pickling lime I was telling you about in the relative article, but it is not easy to find it nowadays so better to skip that step instead by using the quick lime. It will not be as crunchy but it won't lose anything in taste

Ingredients:
The rind of a large watermelon
1Kg of sugar, per 1 kilo of rind (you weigh after you peel the green part and cut off the red part of the fruit)
1/2 cup pickling (or quick) lime + 2Lt of water (optional)
3 cups of water
4-5 tbsp of lemon juice + 2-3 tbsp more
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Method:
Cut the watermelon in slices and peel the green skin and as much as possible of the red part of the fruit.
Each slice should be cut into pieces of 5-6 cm. The rind should be about 2cm thick so to be able to keep its shape and not get mushy during boiling.

Put the rind pieces into a large bowl full of cold water (the rind to be covered) along with the first tbsps of the lemon juice and let it soak for about 1 hour or so.

OR

If you use the pickling lime first you have to dissolve it in the water, add the rind pieces and let it soak for at least 1-2 hours. When the time is right you have to rinse the rind VERY VERY WELL before you continue. After soaking, drain the rind in a colander. Transfer back to the bowl and add some fresh cold water. Add the first tbsps of the lemon juice and let it soak again for about 30 minutes this time. Then drain again in a colander.

When all this is done, put together in a large saucepan the water and the sugar and let it simmer in low heat. Add the rind pieces, cover with the lid and let it boil very gently for 1 1/2 hours until the syrup sets and thickens. You will see that the fruit will change into a nice yellow colour looking glossy (see photo on top).

Take the saucepan off the heat and add the vanilla extract, the extra tbsps of the lemon juice and stir with a wooden spoon very gently.

Let it cool completely and divide the spoon sweet into jars that you have already sterilized. You can store in the fridge and it keeps for many months.