Candied fruits are an undeservedly forgotten delicacy that has been very popular for another 100 years. Our great-grandmothers knew how to cook candied fruits from all vegetables and fruits, and even from watermelon peels.
Candied watermelon peels
For cooking candied fruits, ripe watermelons with a thick crust are suitable. Watermelon peels must be thoroughly washed, cut off the top green skin 1.5 mm thick and scrub the red flesh to a hard white layer. After that, cut the prepared peel into cubes with an edge length of 1.5 cm and place for 2 hours in a solution of aluminum alum (1 g per 1 l) of water to strengthen (you can buy alum in pharmacies). Then rinse the crusts with cold water, place in a colander and blanch for 5 minutes in boiling water to which citric acid has been added (2 g of acid per liter). After blanching, rinse the crusts in cold water, place in an enamel bowl or a wide-bottomed saucepan and cover with hot syrup (1.2 kg of sugar per 0.3 liters of water).
Boil the crusts over low heat for 15 minutes and leave in the syrup for 10 hours. Repeat the procedure 2 more times. Before the third cooking, add 3 g of citric acid to the syrup and cook until tender (a drop of syrup does not spread on a saucer). At the end of cooking, you can add 0.5 g of vanillin.
Drain the syrup into another saucepan through a colander and let the crusts sit for 1.5 hours to drain. Put the candied fruits in one layer on a sieve and dry in the oven at a temperature not exceeding 40 degrees or indoors for 3 days. After that, roll the candied fruits in granulated sugar and dry for the same time. Ready candied fruits are stored in clean dry jars under nylon lids. Watermelon syrup can be served with tea or used in baked goods.
Candied melon
Melons for cooking candied fruit should be chosen not too ripe, with dense pulp. Cut the melon, peel the seed chamber and skin and cut into 2–3 cm cubes. Blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes, then refrigerate. Pour the melon pieces with hot syrup (1.2 kg of sugar and 0.5 liters of water for 1 kg of melons) and leave for 10 hours. Then boil for 10-15 minutes. Cooking candied melon should be done in 3 doses for 10-15 minutes, keeping in syrup between boils for 10 hours. At the end of 3-1 boiling, add 3 g of citric acid and a little vanillin to the syrup. Ready-made candied fruits can be dried in the same way as candied fruits from watermelon peels.
