The American Citron

Candied watermelon rind that is used as an ingredient in some pies.

The American Citron

Take the rine of a large watermelon not too ripe, cut into small pieces, take two pound of loaf sugar, one pint of water, put it all into a kettle, let it boil gently for four hours, then put it into pots for use,

• Watermelon Rind How big is a large 18th century watermelon? I will let you know next summer when we grow some. For now, I used half of a huge grocery store one. 
• Sugar Two Pounds (4 cups)
• Water enough to cover

1. Cut off the rind and cut into little pieces (I made mine about 1 inch squares) 
2. Put in pot, cover with water and add the sugar
3. Boil gently, adding more water as needed, for a couple of hours
4. Let the water boil off gradually, until you are left with a syrup. Use very low heat during this stage, and stir regularly.
5. Let cool slightly and pour off into your container (a glass canning jar works).
6. Clean your pot immediately, you know you won't want to deal with that later...
7. Store in a cool place