Watermelon Rinds Find A Second Life In A Delicious Depression-Era Pie
About to toss a bunch of watermelon rinds into the trash? Hold your fire! You can chop those leftovers up and turn them into a delicious Depression-era pie with a little culinary ingenuity, a dash of warming spices, and a batch of store-bought pastry.
In the 1930s, home cooks had to be creative with pantry staples because many couldn't afford or access expensive ingredients due to high unemployment and poverty. This led to the creation of inventive treats like the Depression-era water pie, which featured a filling made only of water, flour, sugar, vanilla, and butter. Watermelon pie (also known as watermelon harvest pie) was another imaginative recipe designed by farm wives who were reluctant to throw food scraps out. The exterior of this juicy fruit was repurposed into the filling for a comforting dessert that used minimal ingredients; however, the rind had to be cooked down first to soften it. It was chopped into ¼-inch cubes and then boiled up in a mixture of water and sugar until it became tender, which took up to 25 minutes depending on the thickness of the rind. Some of the pink flesh attached to the outer skin was included to lend the filling a touch of summery sweetness.
The simmered watermelon rinds were combined with raisins and more sugar
After draining the watermelon from the sugary liquid, it would be cooled and combined with more sugar and extras — think chopped nuts, dates, cranberries, or raisins — to give it a satisfying texture. To provide warmth and aroma, the filling was scattered with spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves (nowadays, you can make things easier by stirring through a teaspoon of store-bought or homemade pumpkin spice). A dash of acid, from either fresh lemon juice or vinegar, cut through the sweetness of the pie filling and gave it a brighter note. Finally, the cooked, sweetened, and spiced rinds were dolloped into a dish lined with pie crust, topped with more pastry, and baked.
For the ultimate modern-day version of this thrifty pie, you could keep things simple and use basic pantry staples, such as white sugar, and nix the expensive dried fruits to keep costs low. The unusual texture of the simmered rind and the fragrant spices alone create a pie that has a satisfying denseness and flavor. However, you might prefer to use soft brown sugar to imbue your dessert with a caramel quality. The brown sugar will also darken the filling, making it look almost like mincemeat, which is traditionally a mixture of dried fruits, suet, sugar, and spices.
Got some chopped watermelon flesh left in the fridge? Make the viral watermelon pie filling that's a mixture of the cubed fruit, Cool Whip, and condensed milk.