Pickled watermelon peel

Delicious with braaied meat, or you could chop it finely to use in salads.

Makes 1 jar (1ℓ) Preparation time 20 minutes Cooking time 5 minutes, plus cooling time

YOU NEED

• 1kg watermelon peel • 1 cup (250ml) apple cider vinegar • 1 cup (250ml) water • ¾ cup (180ml) sugar • ¼ cup (60ml) preserved ginger • 4 teaspoons (20ml) coarse salt • 1 teaspoon (5ml) dried chilli flakes • 4 cloves (optional) • 1 cinnamon stick • 1 teaspoon (5ml) whole allspice

THIS IS HOW

Remove the outer part of the peel – throw it on your compost heap – and cut the rest of the peel into 2cm cubes. Place the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan and heat to boiling point. Let the pickling liquid simmer for 1 minute, then add the peel. Reheat the mixture to boiling point. Remove the saucepan from the heat as soon as the mixture starts to boil and allow the peel to cool down in the syrup for 30 minutes.

Arrange the peel cubes in a 1ℓ jar, fill it to the top with the syrup, seal the jar and let it cool completely before storing in the fridge, where it will keep for up to a month.