I'm definitely not a white sugar kind of person. I'm usually the one demonizing society's fetish of all things refined and white, especially sugar and how its so unhealthy. Its one of the root causes of widespread obesity and health problems due to its addictive and cheap accessibility.
So with that...I was hesitant in making candied citrus peels. Because well of the word "candied" in the title, as well a the amount of white sugar in the recipes I found.
But I had a ton of peels. Orange peels and lemon peels and grapefruits from my parents backyard. The little grapefruit tree in the back corner of the yard finally had a global warming bumper crop in southern california, and we rejoiced over the thick-skinned pink-white fleshed fruits.
Anndddddd, with this overflow of fruits with beautiful skins with nutritional and flavorful potential, I couldn't just toss them out. That little grapefruit tree tried for years to pop those fruits out, and now I'm going to reject half the fruit? My ancestral homesteading brain told me there was a way to preserve and consume these bitter, fleshy rinds.
Citrus peels are super high in flavenoids, which exhibit antioxidant properties and essential oils that may help against cancer. One of these oils, d-limonene, is especially anti-inflammatory and cholesterol fighting. The peels also contain higher proportions of the vitamins and minerals found in the fruit, like calcium, vitamin C and dietary fiber. Citrus peels are also a wonderful digestive aid, relieving bloating and improving digestion. So I want all this, but I don't think I can bear to chomp down a raw grapefruit rind unless offered 3 or more dollars to do so. Or if they were covered in sugar. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down anyway, right Mary Poppins? I think she'd approve.
In fact, medicine was the realm where the word "candy" first waltzed out there into the sweet world. This excerpt from Gastronomy Archeology shows us:
"Candy as a verb is defined as “To preserve (fruits, etc.) by boiling with sugar, which crystallizes and forms a crust; to coat or incrust with sugar”. The OED gives the etymology as a straightforward borrowing from the French candir and the Italian candire, both having the same meaning as the English word. It also lists the earliest appearance of “candy” as a verb as Thomas Elyot’s 1541 diet regimen Castel of Health. Elyot refers to “Gynger condite, the whiche we do call grene gynger, specyallye candyd with sugar” as a remedy for excess phlegm (“fleume”)."
Candied ginger! aha!
Apparently, along with salt and vinegar, sugar is a great preserving agent. By saturating the peels in sugar syrup, sugar prevents microorganism growth by absorbing moisture and changing the osmotic balance. It sort of dehydrates the bacteria. That's why most traditional jam recipes call for incredibly high amounts of sugar to better preserve the fruit of summer. Same concept.
Candied citrus peels are one of the oldest candies out there, which is another reason why I was drawn to these sugar-coated snacks. So this is a more than a recipe of making another pretty sugar-coated novelty. Its a reconnection to what "candy" is, or was, for that matter, and why it exists. Maybe it can be something that is medicinal, eaten in small doses after a meal to digest or to incorporate uncommon, dense nutrients off-season. Maybe it can be another way, along with salt, to preserve something we produced; to show our little grapefruit tree just how grateful we are for its incredible fruits.
So let's candy these things already. I first made these with my mom a few months ago at the peak of grapefruit production, and they were perfect. Thin and sparkling with a nice coasting of frosty sugar that hardened them overnight. Maybe it was how my mom tediously cut all the inner rind off, or something, but I definitely could not do it as well on my own the second time. Its the magical mom's touch I think. They still turned out delicious, after boiling and reboiling the peels and then coating them in more sugar. I eat a few of them after meals for a sweet and digestive snack.
candied citrus peel
(adapted from Essential Pepin)
makes 4-5 dozen pieces
ingredients
3 large oranges
2 grapefruits
2 large lemons
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus extra to roll
method
Separate the skin from the fruit with a knife or hands. (use the insides to eat or juice!). Cut peels into think strips.
Drop peels into stainless steel pot and cover generously with cold water. Bring to a string boil and boil for about 30 seconds. Drain in a colander, rinse the pot, and repeat the process of blanching. Drain again and return to the pot with the 8 cups water and 1 1/2 cups sugar.
Bring to a boil and boil gently for about an hour, or until the peels are tender. They should be almost transparent and there should be enough thick syrup to coat them.
Cover a cookie sheet with a layer of granulated sugar. Lift the peels out of the pot and place on cookie sheet, turning and pressing to thoroughly coat.
Arrange them on a wire rack and let them cool, dry, and harden for at least an hour. To store, pack into jars with more sugar to fill air pockets. Use the remaining syrup for pancakes or marmalade recipes.
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