Candied Citrus Peel

This is an easy way to make candied citrus peels. They make excellent additions to cakes and pies, granola and ice cream. The simple syrup that the peels are cooked in has a delicious citrus taste, too. Use it in cocktails or other drinks.

Ingredients

• 1 cup citrus peels
• 1 ½ cups white sugar
• 1 ½ cups water

Directions

Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel long strips of zest. Try to avoid peeling the white pith along with the zest, it can be quite bitter. You can store the cooked peels in the fridge, in their syrup, or put them on a drying rack, sprinkle with sugar, and dry until brittle. Dried peels will store well in an airtight container.

Put zest in a medium saucepan and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Drain water and repeat the boiling and draining two more times. Make a simple syrup by dissolving the sugar in boiling water and returning to a boil. Then add peels and return to a boil. Remove from heat, let cool
and transfer to a jar for storage in fridge.

Submitted by Lori Adkison, Tucson CSA