Citrus Peel Candy

Hiya, here I'll be showing you how I candy citrus peel and some of its uses. This method has been used for hundreds of years starting around the 14th century, and I understand the appeel. Candying fruit lowers food waste and costs next to nothing; it's ecologically and wallet friendly! Plus it's easy peasy lemon squeezy- literally. But you didn't come here for the puns (or did you?) so on to the zest part- bitter late than never.

• Any citrus fruits- I like oranges, lemons and limes for a variety of colour
• White granulated sugar
• Water

The quantities used are done by eye depending on how many peels you have available. It's not an exact science so it doesn't matter if you use a bit too much or too little sugar syrup, but for a rough guide use these measurements:

For 4 medium sized oranges use 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup water

Feel free to adjust to your needs accordingly

Wash your fruits. Peel and store the actual "fruit" part to eat or use for a different recipe. On the inside of the fruit peel is a white layer- you want to get rid of this. I've found the best way to be to place the peel pith side up on a chopping board and press till flat, then slice it off carefully with a small, sharp serrated knife. It's fine if some pith stays on but it can make your candy bitter, so do your best to remove it. My first attempt was pithiful (haha) but you'll figure out a technique that works for you. Finally cut your peels into uniform strips 1/4 inch wide. The exact size doesn't really matter as long as they're all the same, but 1/4 inch is a good size to aim for.

Boil a pan of water then add your peels. Boil these for fifteen minutes, then drain and rinse. Using new water boil the peels again and repeat the process 2-3 times. This helps remove any bitter taste from the peel, and the more times you do it the less bitter they'll be.

Did you know citrus fruits are a type of berry? Weird

Now you want to simmer your peels in syrup. To do so bring your water to the boil and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Add peels and simmer until the peel turns translucent and the sugar water turns to a light syrup. This should take between 30-60 minutes and should be stirred occasionally.

When your peels are ready remove them with a slotted spoon and shake off some of the syrup. Put them in a bowl of granulated sugar and jiggle around a bit so they're evenly coated. Repeat this until all your peels are sugared.

With the leftover syrup you can make a whole host of delicious things: save it to add to drinks, on top of ice cream or in cakes. Do some googling for more ideas.

Place your sugared peels on a plate or rack to cool down and harden. They'll be ready in 2 days when they aren't squishy and chewy anymore.

The candies are nice on their own but I most commonly use them in baking or to garnish drinks. By themselves they're a bit of an acquired flavour but I really like them and they're a great way to prevent food going to waste. So when life gives you lemons, make..... lemon peel candy?