Candied Lemon Peel

Remember the lemon that blossomed, bloomed, matured and turned yellow in my family room? I used the peel to make candied lemon peel! I am feeling joyous about this. Not just because I got an actual lemon from a house plant! But because the peels are so outrageously delicious. Which is why I say the recipe serves 1-4 people. Because I finished almost all of it all by myself. What did I do with the juice? Stay tuned ….

CANDIED LEMON PEEL

• 1 large or 2 small lemons

• Boiling water

• 1 cup water

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon sugar for coating

Peel the lemon into strips, being careful not to include any of the lemon flesh. Scrape the white part to remove any excess pith, but leave some pith (it adds good texture). Cut the strips into narrower strips. Place the strips in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 3 minutes. Repeat this process one time. Drain the peels and set them aside. Place the cup of water and 2/3 cup sugar into a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the peels. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the strips are soft and translucent. Drain the strips (save the liquid for use in other recipes, cocktails or other beverages) and place them on a dish. Sprinkle with the teaspoon of sugar and toss to coat them completely. Place the strips in a single layer on a cookie sheet or some parchment paper. Let cool. Makes 1-4 servings #lemon #lemonpeel #candiedlemonpeel #candiedpeel

My Lemon Tree

Lemon Tree

Lemon flowers and baby lemons

Lemon peel strips

There is something truly life affirming when you take care of a plant and it grows a flower or even fruit. My daughter (LaLa Lunchbox) and son-in-law (Jesse Hertzberg) gave me a lemon tree plant for Mothers Day. There were two lemons on it, hard and green. It took until now for the fruit to ripen. I did get some flowers and even a couple of baby lemons but they didn’t grow. Still — I had the original lemons and last week they were ready for using.

What to do with two lemons? I didn’t want to mix them with store bought lemons! So I made a half recipe of lemon ice cream using the juice and a bit of the zest. Then I scraped the skins and cut them into slim slices — will use them for chocolate dipped candied lemons!

No recipes for now because I haven’t tasted the ice cream and haven’t candied the lemon peels. But, will do if they’re good.

During stressful times, there’s a reminder that the world keeps moving, life goes on, some lovely, life-affirming things can make you happy. Like ripe homegrown lemons and ice cream and candy.

Candied Lemon Peel

You know those two lemons that ripened on my house plant lemon tree? The ones I posted about a while back? I used the juice to make ice cream, which was incredibly delicious (more about that another time). I candied the peel. Some we ate plain. Some I dipped in chocolate and we ate those too! Oh my were these awesomely good! Really! I used @toriavey’s recipe because I hadn’t made these before and didn’t have a recipe of my own. Thanks Tori! #lemonpeel #candiedlemonpeel #wastenot #wastenotwantnot #homemadecandy

Here is the recipe: https://toriavey.com/how-to-make-candied-lemon-peels/

Btw these make a terrific gift — remember this recipe for Valentine’s Day or Purim!