Pickled Melon
| 4 to 5 small melons |
salt |
| any spiced vinegar |
300g (10oz) shredded cabbage |
| 150g (5oz) carrots, coarsely grated |
2 red peppers or chilies shredded |
| 3 celery stalks, chopped |
75g (2½oz) ginger, finely shredded |
| 2 garlic cloves, sliced |
100g (3½oz) salt |
| 1 tbsp mustard seeds |
2 tsp nigella seeds (optional) |
The type of melons used
here are what we call in South Africa "Spanspec". They are the ones
with the wrinkled - road map appearance on the outside. You may know them as
Galia or Charentais.
Prepare the melons.
Split open, scoop out seeds and peel off outside hard peel. Cut into cubes
approximately ½ to ¾ of an inch in size. Place pieces in a glass bowl and just
cover with water. Drain water and measure. For each litre (1¾ pints) of water,
add 4 tablespoons of salt. Mix, and pour back over the melon. Leave it to stand
for 24 hours.
Take the rest of the vegetables, ginger and garlic, place in
a separate bowl and sprinkle with the 100g (3½oz) salt and also let stand for
24 hours.
Drain and rinse the vegetables and melon, and then rinse and
drain again. Add the melon and the spices to the vegetables and mix carefully so
as not to break the melon. Pack into cold, sterilized jars and cover with spiced
vinegar.
The melon mixture will be ready in 5 to 6 weeks, and will
keep for up to a year in a cool, dark place.
Spiced Vinegar
To make spiced vinegar,
take 10 peppercorns, a few mustard seeds, a few dill seeds and a couple of bay
leaves, a cinnamon stick and a few whole cloves. Boil in a quantity of vinegar
of your choice for 5 or 10 minutes. Cool completely and scoop out all the seeds
before using.
Makes about 2 litres ( 3½ pints ).
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