Cumberland Mountain Watermelon Rind Pickles - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 large, thick rind watermelon, trimmed and cut in pieces
1 Tbsp. slaked lime (can buy at drugstore)
1 gal. water (16 c.)
1 Tbsp. alum (can be bought at drugstore if your market does not carry it)
1 gal. water
1/2 lb. whole ginger root
1 gal. water
Syrup (see following)

Preparation

To prepare watermelon, trim off all of the red and the outer green from the rind.
Keep the rind as thick as possible, but red and green parts must be completely removed.
Cut into small, oblong or square pieces, about 1 x 3/4-inch or 1 x 1-inch. Dissolve 1 tablespoon lime into 1 gallon water and soak rind in this overnight (or about eight hours).
Remove rind from lime water.
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of alum in 1 gallon of water.
Soak rind in alum water for 5 minutes.
Remove from alum water.
Place 1/2 pound of ginger root (and do buy whole root and not broken pieces) into one gallon of water.
Bring to a boil.
Pour rind into ginger water and boil for 30 minutes.
Remove rind from ginger water.
Drain.
Prepare syrup.