Good morning, everyone -- and thanks again for your input.
As of last evening, I now own four half-liter Bormioli canning jars which is just what my pressure cooker will hold in one go. That means I'm ready!
Sparrowgrass, my watermelon pickle recipe is below. It's a beloved family recipe from an aunt who's a talented gardener, cook, and canner.
Sweet Watermelon Pickles
4 quarts watermelon rind
2 c. white vinegar
4 sticks cinnamon, broken
7 c. sugar
2 T. whole cloves
Cut green and pink flesh off watermelon rind and cut into 1" cubes. Soak in strong salt water overnight. Pour off salt waterand boil in fresh water until just tender, not soft.
Make syrup, add rind and spices, cook 10". Remove from heat, cover and let stand overnight. Drain off syrup, bring to a boil and pouur over rind. Continue this process for 5 nights.
Bring pickles to a boil the fifth morning, cook gently 5". Pack in sterile jars.
As for the other recipes and your kind offer to run them by your nutrition person for their cannability (!!), here's the scoop: for the chili sauce I'd start with The Joy of Cooking recipe which I'd be willing to stick to very accurately. Do you agree that it's probably a "safe" recipe?
As for the mango chutney, I have a couple of choices: the recipe in "Joy" and several recipes I received in response to my "ISO hot mango chutney recipe" thread (Sauces, Marinades, Rubs / condiments section of this site). Here's where my normal impulse in making the chutney would be to pick and choose from the various recipes quite freely -- upping the ginger and chili; changing spices according to taste/availability; changing proportions according to mangoes on hand. I do these things by instinct, usually -- just not a slavish recipe follower (as long as we're not talking about cakes, breads, or other formula baking, that is.)
So ... deep breath ... do I go for it, pressure processing whatever I come up with, and just ... hope?
(Does chutney freeze well?!
)