How to Make Waatlemoen Konfyt / Watermelon Preserve

Making a South African childhood favourite.

What do you do when you have a ton of watermelon and you want to make use of as much of the watermelon as possible? You made watermelon preserve! In Afrikaans it is known as "waatlemoen konfyt" and I can remember eating it as a kid in South Africa.

Ingredients:

2kg (4lb) bite-sized pieces of watermelon rind, without the skin
2 Tbsp bicarb/baking soda
3L (3 quarts) water for soaking rinds
2L (2 quarts) water for syrup
Extra water for second soak
6 cups sugar
40ml (2 2/3 Tbsp) lemon juice OR 1/2 tsp citric acid
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)

Method:

1. Add rind pieces to 3 litres of water and add the bicarb/baking soda. Leave rind to soak for at least 12 hours
2. After soaking, remove rind, rinse and soak in fresh water for another 2 hours
3. Rinse rind, put it in a pot of hot water and boil until rinds are just tender
4. While rind is boiling, prepare syrup in a separate pot
5. Add sugar, lemon juice and spices to 2 litre of water
6. Put on low heat and stir until sugar has dissolved
7. Bring syrup mixture to the boil
8. Once rind is tender, drain, and add syrup
9. Boil rind rapidly in syrup until the pieces are tender and translucent
10. Can the rind immediately.

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