Homemade: Candied fruits and vegetables

Everyone knows what candied fruits are. They are pleasant to cook and then store, like jewelry, in boxes and jars.

Today, candied fruits and vegetables are used everywhere: they are added to pastries, jelly, ice cream and other dairy desserts, including cottage cheese, they decorate various confectionery products, in addition, fruit slices boiled in syrup are sometimes served as an independent sweet dish for tea or coffee instead of sweets. Candied fruits serve as an excellent filling for muffins, rolls, puffs.

The name of this appetizing delicacy comes from the Latin "sucus" - "juice". In Italian, it sounds like "succada", in German - "zukkade", and the Russians simply borrowed it, replacing the voiced "d" with a soft "t".

In Russia, candied fruit has also been loved for a long time. Only they were called Kiev dry jam or "balabushki" in honor of the merchant S.S. Balabukhi.

The first mention of Kiev dry jam dates back to the 14th century. It was brought from Kyiv and served at the wedding feast of the Lithuanian prince Jagiello in 1386. But candied fruits gained wide popularity and fame in Russia much later. In the 18th century, in 1777, Catherine II, who was very fond of candied fruits, issued a decree according to which dry jam from apricots, strawberries, strawberries, pears, dogwoods, cherries, Hungarian plums, rose hips and pink, so beloved by her, was supplied to yard. Every autumn, stagecoaches with boxes and crates of Russian candied fruits went from Kyiv to St. Petersburg. In the middle of the 18th century, there was even a separate position - "candy apprentice of the Kiev imperial court."

At the same time, the first dry jam store appeared in Kyiv, opened by the merchant S.S. Balabukha. His products subsequently received many awards.

The process of making candied fruits has not changed significantly since then. Fruits are pre-washed and dried well. Then they are dipped in saturated sugar syrup and boiled for a long time. At the next stage, the fruits, well soaked in syrup, are dried, after which they become similar to what we can see in the store. There is nothing difficult in making candied fruits yourself. For this, any fruit, berries, citrus peel, along with zest, as well as some vegetables, are suitable. such as pumpkin, carrots and zucchini.

It is worth noting that candied fruits and vegetables also have a number of useful properties that many other confectionery products do not have.

Very tasty are candied fruits from oranges and watermelons, more precisely, from their peels, which we usually throw away.

Candied watermelon rinds

Ingredients:
1 kg of watermelon peels, 1 kg of sugar, 200 ml of water, 5 g of citric acid, orange peel, almonds, lemon peel, vanilla - to taste.

Cooking:
For the preparation of candied fruit, use watermelons with a thick rind, as well as unripe melons, which are usually thrown away as inedible products, but they will be very useful to you in this case. Peel the watermelon rinds from the dense peel and soft part, cut into pieces of the same size, considering that they will boil down in the future, cover with water and cook for 3 minutes. Then drain the water, rinse the boiled pieces with cold water, pour boiling syrup made from sugar, water and citric acid.
For flavoring, you can also add lemon or orange zest, almonds there. Boil watermelon peels until transparent, remove with a slotted spoon, dry and roll in powdered sugar.

Candied zucchini with honey and lemon

Ingredients:
1 kg of zucchini, 200 g of honey, 1 lemon, 500 g of sugar.

Cooking:
Wash the zucchini, peel and seeds, cut into rectangular pieces or cubes, sprinkle with sugar (200 g), put in the cold until the juice is released, then drain the juice. Wash the lemon, pour over boiling water, cut into small pieces along with the peel, remove the seeds, pour a glass of zucchini juice, heat and boil for 10 minutes, then pour the rest of the sugar (300 g) over it, cook the syrup over low heat (until the sugar is completely dissolved ). Pour the boiling syrup over the zucchini, add honey, put on a slow fire and cook until tender (until the zucchini becomes transparent and the syrup is thick like honey).
Remove zucchini from syrup, dry and roll in powdered sugar. Place the finished candied fruits in candy boxes for storage, and use the remaining syrup with lemon slices as regular jam.

candied plums

Ingredients:
1 kg of plums, 1 kg of sugar, 1 g of ascorbic acid.

Cooking:
For the preparation of candied fruits, the bones can not be removed. If you are preparing candied pitted plums, cut the fruit across, not lengthwise - in this case, the skin does not twist during cooking. Place the prepared plums in a wide-bottomed saucepan, sprinkle with sugar and leave to separate the juice. After that, boil the fruits until the juice turns into a thick syrup. Remove the plums from the syrup and lay them out on foil or parchment paper to dry.
If dried plums are dipped in hot syrup two or three more times, drying them each time, you get a very tasty plum in caramel.

Candied sugar beets

Ingredients:
1 kg of sugar beets, 3 g of citric acid, 100 g of sugar, 500 ml of water, lemon peel, vanillin or other flavoring of your choice.

Cooking:
Wash the beets, peel and cut into pieces of the same size (cubes or slices), add water, add sugar, citric acid and boil over low heat until all the liquid has evaporated. For flavoring, beets can be boiled together with lemon or orange zest, honey, cardamom or vanilla. As in previous recipes, dry the beets and roll in powdered sugar.

Candied pumpkin with orange

Ingredients:
1 kg pumpkin, 1 orange, 200 ml water, 800 g sugar.

Cooking:
Wash the pumpkin, remove the peel and seeds, cut into cubes or cubes, sprinkle with a little sugar. When the juice comes out of the pumpkin, drain it. Wash the orange, pour over boiling water, cut into small pieces along with the peel, remove the seeds, cover with boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.
Pour sugar with orange broth (along with orange slices), put on a slow fire and cook until sugar is completely dissolved.
Pour the prepared pumpkin pieces with boiling syrup. Put the cooled mass on a slow fire and cook until tender (pumpkin pieces are transparent, and the syrup is thick).
Remove the boiled pumpkin pieces from the syrup, dry them, roll in powdered sugar and place in a confectionery box.
Use the remaining syrup with orange slices as jam, and the remaining fresh pumpkin juice can be brought to a boil, immediately poured into sterilized jars and rolled up. This juice will be especially useful for children, and adults are unlikely to refuse it when they try it.

Candied carrots

No wonder they say that "carrots polish the blood." This is a very useful and valuable vegetable containing many useful substances. If you want to eat not only tasty, but also healthy sweets, prepare candied carrots. To prepare this delicacy, it is better to choose young, fresh carrots - it will provide the most pleasant taste and benefits.

Ingredients:
1 kg carrots, 1.2 kg sugar, 1.5 stack. water, citric acid (at the tip of a knife).

Cooking:
Wash and clean carrots. Cut into medium-sized pieces or thin strips. Boil the water and boil the carrots in it for 10 minutes, then cool the slice in cold water. Boil the syrup: add sugar to the water, boil and wait until the sugar has completely melted. Dip the carrot pieces into the boiling syrup and boil for 15 minutes. After that, leave the carrots to infuse in syrup for 10 hours. Repeat this procedure 3 times. At the end of cooking, add citric acid and cool. Strain the carrot pieces through a colander and place them on parchment-lined plates or baking sheets.
The syrup can be closed in sterile jars - it will come in handy for impregnation or the preparation of icing for baking. Dry the carrots in the oven at the lowest temperature or with the door open until tender, or for several days at room temperature in a well-ventilated area. You can use an electric dryer.
Roll candied fruits in powdered sugar and place in jars with airtight lids.

Candied orange peels

Ingredients:
1 kg of orange peels, 1 kg of sugar, 200 ml of water, 5 g of citric acid.

Cooking:
Rinse the orange peels, cut into cubes, fill with water so that they are completely covered with it, and cook for 5 minutes, then pour the broth. From sugar and water, boil the syrup by adding citric acid to it. Dip the boiled orange peels into the syrup and simmer until they are translucent. Remove them from the syrup with a slotted spoon and dry them by spreading them on parchment paper or foil. Dried candied fruits roll in powdered sugar and put in a box (can be from under sweets or cookies). Store at room temperature. Use the remaining syrup to flavor confectionery or for further preparation of candied fruits.

Candied apples

The process of preparing candied fruits from apples is not at all complicated. Having prepared such candied fruits, you will stock up on a tasty and healthy delicacy for the whole winter.

Ingredients:
1 kg. apples
1.2 kg. Sahara
2 glasses of water

Cooking:
* Apples cut into slices or halves, depending on the size. Small apples can be cooked whole by piercing them on several sides with a hairpin.
* Boil water in a large saucepan and dip the apples into it for 5-7 minutes.
* Take out the apples and immediately put them in cold water and cool them.
* In the water where the apples were boiled, add sugar and, stirring constantly, wait until it dissolves, forming a syrup.
* Remove apples from cold water, transfer to a bowl and pour over hot syrup.
* Leave for 6 hours, then boil again and cool. In general, the procedure must be repeated 2-3 times - the apples should become transparent.
* After that, put the apples in a colander and let drain as much syrup as possible.
* Put the apples on a sheet lined with parchment and dry in the oven or in the open air.
* Sprinkle dried candied fruit with sugar or powdered sugar and store in a tightly closed container in a dark place. The syrup can be closed in sterile jars and used for baking and sweet desserts.

Candied apples can be stored for a year, until the next harvest, while retaining all the beneficial properties of the fruit. After all, apples are a real storehouse of vitamins and minerals. They contain a lot of iron and pectin, which slow down the aging process, remove cholesterol, improve the functioning of the stomach and prevent the occurrence of tumors.

Eating 2 apples a day, preferably on an empty stomach or separately from other food, you bring great benefits to your body. Due to the large amount of iron contained in apples, they help strengthen the immune system, help with anemia and ailments. Apples are good for indigestion and indigestion as a mild fixative. Fresh apples are recommended as the first food for children, because they absolutely do not cause allergic reactions.

Candied apples undergo minimal heat treatment and therefore retain all the valuable properties of apples. Candied apples can be served as a separate treat, and can also be used as a filling for cakes, pies, pancakes, casseroles and other dishes.
source

Candied pear

For them, it is best to choose hard winter varieties, you can also use unripe pears or fruits that have lost their “presentation”. Properly prepared candied pears will retain all the beneficial properties of these fruits and their excellent aroma and taste.

Candied pears can be prepared by cutting the pears into slices and removing the middle from them, or you can make candied fruits from whole pears. After all, it is believed that the dense middle and seeds of pears contain the greatest amount of useful substances and it is recommended to eat a pear “to the tail”.

Ingredients:
1.5 kg. pears
3 glasses of water
0.5-0.7 kg. Sahara
powdered sugar or sand for dusting

Cooking:
* Wash the pears, pierce them in several places with a hairpin (if you are making candied fruits from whole fruits), or peel them from the seeds, cut into small pieces of any shape.
* Place in a large saucepan and cover with boiling water.
* Strain, draining the water into a separate pan.
* Boil the syrup on this water: add sugar, boil and wait until the sugar has completely melted.
* Dip the pieces of pears in boiling syrup, boil for 5 minutes, remove from heat and cool at room temperature. Repeat this procedure 4 times.
* After the 4th cooking, the pears will become glassy-transparent. They are filtered, allowing the syrup to drain completely.
* Spread the pears on parchment and dry for several days. On the 2nd day, you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar and, if necessary, repeat this procedure several more times during the drying process.

candied pumpkin

It turns out that candied fruits can be prepared not only from fruits, but also from vegetables. Delicious candied fruits can be obtained from a pumpkin. For them, you need to choose sweet varieties of pumpkin for making cereals.

Pumpkin is a very useful vegetable, indispensable in the cold season. She pleases us with her great taste and aroma, when many other fruits have already departed. Candied pumpkins make a wonderful treat that can be eaten alone or used in baked goods or sweet desserts.
The procedure for preparing candied fruits is somewhat reminiscent of cooking jam, but with some features and subtleties.

Ingredients:
1 kg. pumpkins
400 g sugar
200 ml. water
1 lemon or orange
a little ground cinnamon
powdered sugar

Cooking:
* Wash the pumpkin, remove the peel and seeds and cut into small cubes or stripes. Cut the lemon or orange into slices.
* Pour sugar in a saucepan with water and bring to a boil over medium heat with constant stirring. When the sugar is completely dissolved in boiling water, the syrup is ready.
* Put chopped pumpkin and lemon (orange) into the syrup. Boil for about 5 minutes, cool and boil again for 5 minutes. Pumpkin should be soft.
* Throw the pumpkin in a colander and put it on a baking sheet covered with parchment.
* Dry for about 1 hour in the oven at a temperature of 130 degrees, or in the open air for 2-3 days.
* Roll the finished candied fruits in powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon.

Candied berries

You can cook very tasty fragrant candied fruits from any berries. For example, take the berries of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, red and black currants, cherries and place them on a clean baking sheet in one row, sprinkle with sugar (200 g of sugar is required for 1 kg of berries) and put in an oven preheated to 200 ° C, for 20 minutes. As soon as the berries boil over the entire surface, make sure that they do not burn and warm evenly. Then pour the hot berries onto foil and dry, and pour the thick juice remaining on the baking sheet into a jar and use, for example, as a sweet sauce or an additive to jelly and compotes. When serving, add any nuts to the candied berry mixture.

ON A NOTE:

It is best to store candied fruits in glass, tightly closed. There is another way to store: do not dry, and do not cover candied fruits with sugar, but hot, put them together with syrup in sterile jars and seal hermetically, like regular jam.

In the future, they can be used for layering cakes, decorating cakes and adding to pastries.

Now the market offers a huge number of different sweets, but not all of them are good for health. Candied fruits are made from natural raw materials and are a very good solution for a holiday or an occasion when you just want to eat something sweet. The best candied fruits are homemade candied fruits. But if you still decide to buy candied fruits in the store, you should pay attention to some features.

On the shelves you can see a large number of candied fruits, which are full of all the colors of the rainbow. They attract attention, they immediately want to buy. But do not rush to do this - most likely, there are dyes in these colorful candied fruits. It is easy to check the presence of the dye: you need to dip a piece of candied fruit into boiling water - if the water turns colored, then the dye is definitely there.

Natural candied fruits, without any additives, look very unattractive compared to their "chemical neighbors", but these sweets are worth buying if you care about your healthy diet. Often sellers can convince you, for example, that bright red candied fruits are dried pieces of mango or other exotic fruits. But most often it's just colored pineapples, which are boiled in sugar syrup with dye. In this way, you can prepare candied fruits of different colors and, supposedly, from different tropical fruits.

Good, quality candied fruits should not be too wet and sticky, but at the same time should not be too hard. It is easy to check this - just press the candied fruit in plastic packaging with your fingers - it should be moderately elastic and should not release juice when pressed.

Take in the palm of your hand some multi-colored candied fruits prepared by you and admire: a scattering of sunny, like amber, and transparent candied fruits in the palm of your hand is like precious stones - each of them seems to have caught a sunbeam. It is impossible to resist tasting at least a small piece - feel the sweetness and aroma, reminiscent of honey and flower nectar, melting and taking you to the world of dreams and hot summer.

Certified HEALTHY FOOD "Wellness" from ORIFLAME!

Ready to feel great and look amazing?

With the help of our products and simple but effective tips for a healthy lifestyle, we will open up a whole world of health and nutrition for you.

After all, living a full life with Wellness is so easy!