The Colorado statesman., 1923-01-13
CANDlED GRAPEFRUIT
PEEL MAKES CENTER
Also Serves as Substitute for
Citron in Baking,
TWO Methods of Cooking Are Outlined,
One With Water Alone. the Other
With Lime Water-Place in
Albright Jars.

Prepared by the United States Department
OF Agriculture.J~
Candied grapefruit peel makes an
excellent center for chocolates and also
serves rs a substitute for citron in bak-
Ing, according to the United States De
partment of Agriculture. Many firms
now use candied citrus products in
stead of citron in making mincemeat.
Wash the fruit and remove the peel,
leaving as little of the white material
attached to the fruit as possible. The
peel can be more readily detached If
the fruit is dipped in boiling water for
a few minutes. If peel from fruit from
which the juice has been pressed is TO
be used. the segment walls can be
cleaned away with knife. Not all of
the peel from this class of material
can be saved but usually enough is
recovered to make it pay. Cut the peel
into strips inches long by "a inch
wide. into disks " inch wide, or into
squares of the same size.
There are two methods of cooking
the peel In one method water alone
is used; in the other a preliminary
treatment with lime water is given.
Under certain conditions the finished
product has a slightly tough layer ut
the surface, the remnant of the outer
surface of the original peel. This
toughness can be overcome by using
lime water, although as rule results
almost as good are obtained by using
water alone. Only the clear lime wa
ter should be used for this purpose,
never milk of lime. Lime wafer con-
tains only a few tenths of l per cent
of lime in solution and will not injure
the peel. Place the prepared peel in
n kettle and cover it either with
mixture consisting of two parts of wa
ter and one part of clear lime water or
with water alone. Cover and boil for
half an hour. Pour off the liquid;
again cover with water and boil for
half an hour. Do not use lime water
after the first cooking. Repeat the
boiling with fresh water eacn time,
until piece of the peel when removed
and cooled has about the bitter taste
that is desired in the finished product.
The final product will be n little less
bitter than the peel at this stage as
some of the bitterness disappears on
further cooking. Usually three treat
ments are sufficient when n rather bit
ter flavor is desired. Five or six trent
ments produce mlld-tlavored peel;
more than that number give prod
uct without much grapefruit flavor.
When the desired navor is reached,
pour Off the water and drain the peel;
tb. axpncS Of wntpr can he removed
by gentle pressure.
To candy the peel prepare sirup,
using equal parts Of granulated sugar
and water. and cover the peel with 1t.
Boil very slowly for an hour or so, and
allow the peel to remain in the sirup
overnight, or longer if convenient
Finally, boil again until the sirup be-
comes thick. stopping the cooking ut
the usual end point for jelly making;
that is. when the substance flakes or
sheets from the spoon or the tempera-
ture on II candy thermometer is about
219 degrees Il. The peel is satisfac-
tory even II cooking is stopped before
1t reaches this point; overcooking
tends to make the peel hard. While
hot, drain the sirup from the peel as
completely as possible, shaking repeat
edly to remove the last drops. Now
roll the peel in powdered sugar. sep
arating any pieces that stick together.
Cool and allow to remain in the air
for several days to dry out.
Place the dry peel in alr-tlght jars
or cans. where it will keep for months.