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If you thought the red flesh was the only edible part of a watermelon, this is for you!

Watermelon is a delicious summer treat, be it part of a fruit salad or on its own. It’s a healthy, low-calorie way to satisfy a sweet tooth and get some vitamins and minerals in as well. But did you know that the green rind — the part most of us throw away — is good for you too? It contains a good amount of the amino acid citrulline, which the body converts to nitric oxide, a chemical that helps relax your arteries and improves blood flow in your body.

You’ve probably never even thought of eating watermelon rind before. I mean, after enjoying the sweet, juicy flesh of the fruit, who would want to gnaw on its bitter white and green outside? But with a little bit of ingenuity and a few extra ingredients, you can turn the rinds into some pretty tasty eats.

Japanese pickles, or tsukemono, are popular and often eaten as a garnish or side to rice. So, why not try pickling your watermelon rinds?

▼ “Before, I had been pickling watermelon rinds in just soy sauce, but have started doing 2 parts soy sauce to 1~2 parts vinegar. It’s so good, even on egg salad sandwiches.”

https://twitter.com/roominbkk/status/763976334414454785

▼ “Recycling watermelon rinds. Left is sweet vinegar, middle is young ginger juice, right is honey and lemon with young ginger slices. Yum! Would be a waste to throw away.”

▼ A recipe from Japanese idol Yamapi: put rinds in a Zip Lock bag with vinegar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and scallions.

▼ Watermelon rinds apparently work well in the side dish kinpira…

https://twitter.com/nishiyama_t_/status/620587711448023040

▼ …as well as in stir fried miso pork and green peppers.

▼ A soup made with chicken, scallions, celery, and the white part of the rind.

▼ Watermelon tempura? Why not! Just julienne the rind, dip in tempura batter, and fry until crisp.

Still have more rinds than you know what to do with? Before you throw them out, set them out in the sun for a day or two to dry up so you don’t have heavy, soggy rinds sitting in your garbage can until trash pickup day.

Let us know in the comments if you have any delicious ideas for watermelon rinds, or if you plan to give any of the above a try!

Source: NAVER Matome
References: Nutrition Data, WebMD
Top image: FreeDigitalPhotos/SOMMAI