Waste Not - DIVINE Mango Pit Syrup Using Scraps!

It's mango season and when these summer treats are inexpensive it's hard to not eat one a day. But don't throw away the skins and pit! You can cook them up into the most delicious mango pit syrup! You'll be surprised at how something you would have thrown out becomes something so delicious. It also makes for a wonderful edible Christmas gift!

Laura got me onto this idea. It's from "Use it All: The Cornersmith guide to a more sustainable kitchen" cookbook by Cornersmith, a cafe in Marrickville.

For this syrup I would recommend using fruit that you've removed the flesh with a knife rather than eaten directly with your teeth, especially if you're making them for a gift.

You actually don't need much mango meat on the pits and skins at all but since I was slicing off the flesh and not nibbling it off, these had a bit more meat. This produces around one and a half cups of the most delicious syrup based on something that you might have just discarded.

I used lime in mine as I didn't have any ginger in the house but this is very versatile. Other flavour variations include: ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla.

While I've been busy saving mango pips and skins in my kitchen, there are some other new and interesting things In My Kitchen. This is a series hosted by Sherry of Sherry's Pickings.

The first lot of things is from a shopping trip I did with Valentina to Nut Roasters in Roselands. These are all items I bought including simit, some vegetable rolls, cheese rolls, Greek Oreos (they taste like regular ones), huge roasted cashews, my favourite smoked taramasalata dip and saffron covered Turkish delight for a gift!

The second lot is a gift from my friend Carm. You may remember her from the Scacce Ragusane story. The morning I put up the post she messaged first thing. "I just got slammed with email enquiries!". You guys all made her day or year with your enthusiasm and booking up her classes. She gifted me these incredible panettone for Christmas present. She actually sells them and delivers them all over Sydney.

The large one is $120 and she also sells minis by Dolce & Gabbana (yes the designers!). I cannot wait to open these up on Christmas and share them with my friends. A lot of people don't really see the fuss over panettone and I get that. It was only once I tried a really good one that I understood the Italian love for panettone. A really good one tastes like the softest, most buttery brioche and is light as a feather. And in Australia, the cost does determine how good one is and generally panettone from $50 upwards are excellent. If you buy an inexpensive one it probably isn't going to be that great and you'll probably be scratching your heads wondering why Italians are going crazy over stale fruit bread.

In any case, my fridge is full and it is now full of this delicious mango syrup which I may gift. Unless of course Mr NQN polishes it all off!

So tell me Dear Reader, how many mangoes do you eat a day or week during summer? Do you like receiving edible gifts?

Mango Pit Syrup

Adapted from Cornersmith

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Makes between 1.5 cups/375ml/12.6flozs. of syrup

• 2 mangoes, skin and pit
• 2 cups/500ml/17flozs. water
• 1 cup/211g/7ozs. sugar
• Juice of 1 lime
• Zest of 1/2 lime

Step 1 - Wash and roughly chop the mango skin and place these, the pits, water, sugar, lime juice and lime zest into a saucepan and bring to a boil. You can also put these into a nut milk bag. Reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid on for 20-25 minutes.

Step 2 -I take a potato masher and get as much meat off the pit as possible and press the skins through a sieve just to get all the goodness off. Decant into bottles. It will last for a month in the fridge.