photo #1726513

I got this from a Facebook group:My husband is a traditional Chinese medicine herbalist. With him, if it's not meat it's an herb. Like insect egg casings and "dragon bone" (turtle shell or ox shoulder). Everything gets saved and used in my house.Well this last week we were gifted a HUGE box of fresh from Florida citrus. Grapefruits, two kinds of oranges, honey (also an herb)... And we dug in.Everyone knows Vit C is good for you and of course you can make vinegar or candles with the peels. Or dry and powder them for later seasoning use...But have you tried candying them? It's a little labor intensive but it's good medicine. Especially for coughs, chest issues, and nausea. Also delicious.So I used grapefruit because Hubby says they're the sweetest but you can use anything. Lemon, clementine, mandarin... Everything has a different flavor but it's the pith- the white part under the skin- that makes it bitter. But it also changes the texture of the finished candy. So. Experimenting is fun.4 ruby reds. (Their peels we're really pretty) 2 c sugar + 1c in a separate bowl 1 c waterKeep the rinds as in tact as you can and split the fruit from top to bottom. Take out the fruit and as much of the pith as you can. When I did it I juiced the grapefruit and then took a spoon to it. Super easy to get it out clean with a nicely edged spoon. Then I flattened out the skin and took the edge of the spoon to it again. I really went at it. I could see the orange colored skin through the back. The less pith, the less bitter but the crunchier the candy will turn out. It was still worth it to do, but next time I won't be so nuts about it. Then slice the skin. I used a pizza slicer to get like... 1/8-1/4 inch slices. I'd try to keep it slimmer and longer the next time I do it. Put them in a pot and cover them in water. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Drain them, rinse them with fresh water, and repeat the process twice more. This gets more of the bitter out.Okay, now add them back to the pot and add your 2c sugar sugar and water. Bring that to a low simmer and stir often until all the water has evaporated and the peels are covered in sugar.Pour those into the bowl of sugar and shake it up. Then pour that through a sifter to separate it and let the peels dry and cool for a while. They'll be hard eventually but omg, they're so good soft and warm.Traditionally dried citrus peels are called "Chen pi". They're part of a general qi (chi or energy) regulating group of herbs.Anyway. Fun and delicious and medicine.