Watermelon Honey

Here’s a preserve your great-grandmother probably had in her pantry, and it’s high time we brought it back.

Watermelon honey uses only the white rind portion (the part most folks throw away), ground up and simmered low and slow with sugar, sliced lemon, and fresh ginger until it cooks down into a thick, amber syrup with a floral sweetness all its own.

It’s not actual honey, but the name fits. The texture is silky, the flavor is delicate, and the ginger adds a warm bite that keeps it from being one-note sweet.

This is old-school zero-waste cooking at its finest.

Kitchen Tips

• Remove every bit of pink flesh. Any leftover pink will cloud the final preserve and throw off the flavor.
• Cook low and slow. Rushing the simmer with high heat will scorch the sugar before the rind turns translucent.
• The preserve thickens considerably as it cools, so pull it off the heat when it’s slightly thinner than your target consistency.
• Fresh ginger is essential here. Dried ginger powder won’t give you the same sharp, bright warmth.