My grandmother’s favorite candy was candied orange peel. Born in 1898 she grew up on a homestead in Oklahoma that was staked out during the Oklahoma Land Rush. Oklahoma did not become a state until 1906. Oranges were a rare treat, and not a bit was wasted not even the peel.
The orange is one of the oldest fruits on earth. Most historians believe that it was first grown in ancient China four thousand years ago. Then, during the age of exploration, European explorers spread the orange all over the world.
In the United States citrus plantings were extensively done in California by the Spanish missionaries. The commercial industry began to grow with the 1849 Gold Rush boom and efforts to supply the miners from San Francisco with citrus fruit. The completion of the Transcontinental Railway further stimulated the citrus industry. Later improvements of refrigeration helped to increase citrus growing and planting in 1889.
Fruitcake Scarcity
My husband and I love fruitcake but found a lack of the Christmas holiday treat this year. Our local grocer had one small display for one day before it disappeared. I determined to produce the necessary ingredients from scratch for the Christmas treat for our family. My grandmother’s recipe is the foundation for an exemplary Christmas concoction.
On a holiday visit I asked Grandma Effa for her recipe for candied orange peel. The recipe is dated June 21, 1981 in my handwritten collection of family favorite recipes. It wasn’t until this Christmas and the dearth of holiday fruitcake that I remembered Grandma’s candied orange peel.
The first task was to collect orange peels. I quartered our breakfast oranges and refrigerated the quartered peelings of 6-8 oranges. The orange peel must be pared from the white pith with a sharp paring knife as the pith s a bitter taste to the finished product. Or strip oranges with a vegetable peeler. Each orange will yield about 1 cup of peel. Cut the peels into ¼ inch strips to prepare for candy.
Grandma Effa’s Candied Orange Peel
Ingredients:
- 3 Tablespoons Karo syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- Extra sugar for sprinkling
Directions:
- Begin by boiling and draining the orange peels three times for about 5 minutes each time to eliminate bitterness.
- In a saucepan combine syrup, sugar and water and bring to boil.
- Add peels and continue boiling until syrup becomes thick and absorbed into orange peels.
- Remove peels to parchment paper and let dry for several hours.
- Sprinkle with sugar and enjoy.
You can also candy clementines by halving them crosswise and eating or juicing the pulp. Discard any membranes still attached to peel. Then cut each half into eighths. Candy the peel just as you would an orange peel.
There are more uses for those orange peels. Orange extract can be made by simply steeping orange peels in vodka for several weeks to flavor the alcohol to be used in baked goodies like cookies, bread and cakes.
The Homesteader’s Motto was and is, “Waste not, want not.” They left a legacy of beauty and goodness from the scraps of living. I have quilts, tablecloths and aprons made from flour sacks; tops whittled from empty thread spools; dolls made from wooden clothespins and hats made from pheasant feathers that testify to the homesteaders’ use of every available resource.
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