WATERMELON KONFYT (PRESERVE)

I love Watermelon Konfyt. As a child I loved it on white bread and butter!  It is delicious served with cheeses as one would serve preserved figs. I have made in once and it was a total failure and I am thinking that was because I didn't add the slaked lime, never heard of it to be completely honest.  I'll definitely try making this again.  This is a Rhodesian recipe.

Slaked Lime (Calcium hydroxide) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ca(OH)2. It is a colorless crystal or white powder and is produced when quicklime (calcium oxide) is mixed or slaked with water. Limewater is the common name for a saturated solution of calcium hydroxide.

Watermelon - green rind (skin) and fleshy part removed, leaving the peel
1 kg sugar for every kilogram of peels
2 litres of water for every kilogram of sugar
20 ml lemon juice for every kilogram of peels
Pinch salt
1 small piece bruised ginger per kilogram of peels
Slaked Lime - 25 ml slaked lime per 5 litres of water.  Available from pharmacies

Prick the peel on both sides. Cut into squares and weigh to get the mass.  Leave the peel in the lime solution for 2 days, rinse thoroughly and leave in fresh water for 2 hours. Drain.  Drop the pieces one by one in boiling water and boil until just tender, it should be easy to prick with a blunt match stick.  

Prepare the syrup from the sugar, water, lemon juice, salt and ginger. Bring to the boil.  Place the peel in the boiling syrup and boil rapidly until the pieces are clear and transparent and the syrup is thick. Pack into hot, dry sterilised jars, fill with syrup and seal immediately.