My mother loves using these as appetizers by wrapping bacon around them, tooth-picking them and cooking in the oven until crispy, salty, sweet.

They’re relatively annoying to find in local markets and for a variety of reasons I expect them to be better made at home–organic watermelon, spices hand carried back from India, quality control. In a market, a jar half this size will cost about $4-5.

Pickled Watermelon Rinds with Water Bath

These will keep at least a year assuming a seal is made upon canning.

Rind from an 8lb watermelon, peeled, flesh removed and cubed
Lots of kosher salt
Lots of water
2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
4 cups sugar
1 T whole cloves
6 cinnamon sticks, 3 inches or so long
1-2 T star anise, whole
Optional: whole mace, tied in a cheesecloth bag (do not can it)

Peel and chop your watermelon rind and place the pieces in a briny water overnight, up to 24 hours, at room temperature.  You should use 3T kosher salt to every quart of water. Let it sit a few minutes then give it a stir to dissolve.

Drain the rind and put it in a large pan, such as a pasta pot. Fill with water, just covering the pieces. Simmer until becoming slightly translucent, about 40 minutes.

Drain again and set aside. Use the same pot to combine the vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil, add the spices and the watermelon rind, reduce to a simmer and continue cooking about 20-30 more minutes, until all pieces are translucent.

Immediately transfer the rind pieces into clean mason jars or canning jars and have new lids ready and clean. Once the rind is distributed, pour the spices and spice syrup (less the mace packet in cheesecloth) in over the rind until about 1/4 inch from the top, covering the pieces.

Screw the lids on with moderate force and place into a large pot (maybe the same one, cleaned?) filled with warm/hot from the tap water, and bring it to a gentle boil. Once boiling, continue for 10 minutes, then turn off heat and leave until cool enough to handle.

If you force the jars to cool more quickly, they will likely crack or break. Within about an hour, all of the seals will probably sink to show that they are pasteurized and ready for storage. If they have not sunk by 24 hours later, you’ll need to repeat the water bath process.

Served with Zuni Cafe Zucchini Pickles and lettuce from our organic container garden.

I make this salad in several variations, the classic being with croutons, romaine lettuce anchovies and the dressing.

Here’s the recipe for homemade caesar salad dressing.

3 anchovies, minced finely
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
3 tsp capers, rinsed lightly and minced
1 T whole grain mustard
2 T apple cider vinegar or other salad vinegar
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 T olive oil

Optional: 1 T creme fraiche, heavy cream, or sour cream; or, 1 coddled egg yolk

Whisk vigorously all ingredients together; will keep in the fridge up to 2 weeks in an airtight container such as a reused jar.

You can find the recipe @ the LA Times or in the Zuni Cafe Cookbook.

Here’s a picture of the brine and a picture of the sliced and macerated zucchini before combining. These are very tasty, but they are refrigerator pickles so they last no more than 2 weeks. Wish there was a good way to preserve them but keep them crisp.

You could also use pumpkin blossoms for this recipe, so long as they are not too large/brittle/old.

I have finally figured out how to make my fried zucchini blossoms less oily, more light and all around prettier. The secret is really two things: 1) Thin batter. The texture of crepe batter. 2) Use something carbonated in the batter. Don’t settle for sake, wine, water. Use champagne, beer, sparkling water.

For the stuffing

1/3lb fresh goat cheese, such as Capricho di Cabra
3 T pepitas (uncooked, dried pumpkin seeds)
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Bring goat cheese to room temperature, toast the pepitas lightly and mix everything together. Stuff the clean, dry zucchini blossoms with the mixture and fold the flowers closed on it. About a tablespoon per flower.

For the batter

1 C champagne, bubbly, beer, etc
3/4 cup tempura flour mix or 2/3 cup flour + some baking soda and salt

May need to adjust the batter ratio; start with the liquid in a bowl and add the flour mixture, gently mix with a fork, it should be somewhat lumpy and thin like crepe batter.

Fry!

A few days ago, I was browsing around Saveur for some ideas on using up excess zucchini, cucumber, etc from my farm shipment. They have a seasonal produce guide which provides brief descriptions of fruits/vegetables, such as how to pick good ones, typical uses, seasonality, etc.

And lo, I found a solution for not only the zucchini in my refrigerator, but the feta as well. I had purchased the feta a couple weeks ago in bulk from Oasis Food Market to use in a carrot-harissa salad, and did, but had lots of leftovers. So, kolokythokeftedes were made in my kitchen. And I stole the recipe here. I used dried mixed italian herbs and some additional oregano instead of fresh herbs.

I did make a different sauce:  yogurt, smoked paprika, dill, salt.

The Ferry Building Farmer’s market was yesterday and I managed to sneak to it at lunchtime; I bought a couple of watermelons (they are delicious this year), basil, the last of the year’s english peas, a grassfed flank steak from Prather Ranch, and zucchini blossoms. A whole box of zucchini blossoms, for $3.

I fried them, but will be posting recipes in the coming days of them stuffed, fried with goat cheese, used in pastas, etc.

Feel free to improvise the dairy combo in this; I used what I had on hand–full cream or whole milk would suffice, or you can combine skim and sour cream, whatever you have around. Ultimately this is pasta with spring vegetables, and you can substitute where it makes sense to.

For two

150 grams rigatoni
1 cup milk
2 T creme fraiche
1/2 tsp Italian dried herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, any combo thereof)
2-3 T tomato paste
1/2 cup peas, shelled
1 1/2 cups cleaned, chopped chard or kale

As you start the pasta is cooking (bring water to boil first before starting the sauce), use a large skillet to gently warm the milk and tomato paste. Add some salt.

When steaming or very lightly simmering, stir mixture and add herbs and peas. Continue cooking a few more minutes.

When pasta is done,  drain and add to the sauce pan, adding the chard and creme fraiche, covering, and letting wilt. A little parm or pecorino on top is nice.

So. My organic container vegetable garden. I started thinning the lettuce yesterday to keep it producing and ensure tender leaves, so above you’re seeing little gem leaves, green leaf, and arugula.

There have been some challenges, which I’ve included in photos below, and I hope others find it helpful when growing in the future as I had a very difficult time diagnosing and treating the problems.

- The red leaf lettuce is almost completely destroyed by either bottom rot or aphids or both; The red leaf lettuce appeared wet but rotting, limp, and grey. What was left of it when it got treated is getting stronger, but I lost a couple of the plants. You can see what was destroyed in the background. This is about 2 weeks after first treatment.

- The lemon cucumbers, which were damaged when I bought them, are struggling but appear to be making do with the way they are; there are flowers that have developed over the past few days and I think I even see the first little cukes. I think they had powdery mildew; I’ve been treating them with serenade disease control and more recently with a neem oil mixture aimed at 3 different plant problems, which is organic appropriate.

- The beets and chard had many leaves rotting at the edges and in blotches, going grey, limp, and just all bad. I picked off the bad ones and have been treating it, but the problem is not 100% gone. They seem to be growing nonetheless, though, and I think it’s because they were simply better established when the affliction started. Here is an upclose shot of the affliction:

- The basil is not growing and has lost its shiny leaves, turning more dull and grey. We’ll see if it survives. It may just need to be warmer; it also had some brown spots on the edges and I’ve noticed aphids under the leaves–I treated it and will continue to, and can hopefully nurse it back to health.

I think part of the problems are aggravated by the heavy fog San Francisco experiences at this time of year; the plants aren’t getting as much sun as they’d like and aren’t fully drying off.

On the other hand, the thyme, tomato plant (first little tomatoes are developing, more flowers are out too!), little gem lettuce and green leaf lettuce seem to be doing well!

Over the weekend I managed to walk 12 miles, learned make macaroons (french ones, not the coconut gobs of yore), procured a breakfast burrito and accompanying beverage, and watched some friends voluntarily throw their faces in freshly-iced cake.

Following a dinner party for 10 (I’m pleased to say I was a guest and not the host!), our hostess, whom by day is a professional, had us pick up piping bags and go to town on some mini cakes she’d put together beforehand. Above, you’re seeing the result.

I’m proud, admittedly–I only once before have really used piping bags, and that was when I was about 7 years old and took a weekend long cake decorating class (Thanks Mom, that was a good one, it stuck with me), in which I was the youngest student by at least 10 years. I guess it was a good investment, but there were some much more creative designs as well that I hope to share in another post when the photos make their way over to me.