How to make candied fruit from watermelon peel?

At the end of summer, when melons and watermelons are fully ripened and filled with sweet juice, it’s time to prepare candied watermelon rinds. Watermelon rinds boiled in rich sugar syrup and dried in the oven are a healthy and surprisingly tasty dessert that will appeal to both adults and children. Candied fruits can be consumed instead of sweets or used to decorate cakes and pie. In order for the transparent crusts to acquire an attractive color, they are colored using natural juice.

Beneficial features

Candied fruits made from watermelon rinds are not only unusual, but also the most economical type of delicacy. After all, when many people eat watermelon pulp, they throw the rinds into the trash, although it is in them that most of the nutrients are concentrated. Knowing simple recipes for preparing a summer delicacy, the giant berry can be used as a whole.

The beneficial properties of watermelon rinds boiled in syrup, even after heat treatment, are almost as good as those of the pulp. Candied fruits contain almost a complete set of B vitamins, vitamin PP and ascorbic acid. They are saturated with microelements such as magnesium, calcium, iron, and are also rich in organic acids and fructose.

The watermelon rind consists almost entirely of natural plant fiber, the consumption of which is necessary for the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and cleansing the body of waste and toxins.

The classic way to prepare candied fruits

To ensure that the candied fruits are not too thin, it is better to make them from ripe watermelon with a thick rind.

For preparation you will need the following products:

watermelon rinds - 1 kg;
water - 750 ml;
sugar - 1.2 kg.

The cooking process consists of several stages:

The green skin is peeled off the crusts, and the remaining white-green dense part is cut into strips or cubes and rinsed with cool water.

The crusts are placed in a spacious enamel pan, filled with cold water so as to completely cover the product, and placed on the stove. They need to be thoroughly cooked, for which the peels should simmer for 10–15 minutes over low heat. The process should not be left to chance, as during cooking, abundant foam is formed, which must be removed in time.

The cooked crusts are placed in a colander and left for a while, allowing excess liquid to drain. At this time, prepare the syrup.

To prepare the syrup, you need to take a saucepan with plenty of capacity, pour in 750 ml of water, heat it a little, add 1.2 kg of granulated sugar and, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves completely, bring to a boil.
Place the crusts into the boiling syrup, mix carefully, trying to immerse each piece in the sweet liquid, and turn off the burner. The workpiece must cool completely, which will take at least 10–12 hours.

After the allotted time, the pan with candied fruits is placed on the stove again, heated to a boil and cooked for 10–15 minutes. Then cool again for half a day. The procedure is repeated a total of three times.
The finally cooked watermelon rinds are placed in a colander to drain the remaining syrup and sprinkled with sugar.Then they are laid out individually on a baking sheet or flat plate covered with baking paper.

The candied fruits should dry thoroughly. They can be dried naturally in air or in the oven at a temperature of +40°C. Place the finished candies in a clean glass jar and store in the refrigerator for no more than three months.

A delicacy made from watermelon can be stored all winter, but to do this it must be hermetically sealed in sterilized jars or preserved with syrup. The crusts in syrup are covered with tight lids, like regular jam, and placed in a cool place - a cellar, basement, pantry. At any time you can drain the syrup, dry the slices in the oven and enjoy the taste of an amazing dessert while remembering summer.

How and with what to decorate candied fruits?

After cooking, candied fruits become transparent and acquire a yellowish tint. It’s boring to decorate a cake or pie with such a one-color product. To decorate sweet slices, you can use the juice of fresh vegetables and fruits:

beets,
carrots,
spinach,
strawberries,
raspberries,
cranberries,
currants

It is added to the syrup during the first boiling. Gradually, the crusts are saturated with red, yellow or green syrup - and forever retain their acquired color.

You can eliminate the foreign odor that appears when adding natural dye with a pinch of vanillin or a sprig of mint added to the pan during the last boil.

Candied fruits with lime

Fans of piquant taste will certainly enjoy the recipe for candied fruits with lime. The method absolutely exactly repeats the classic one described above, and differs only in that the zest and juice of two limes are added to the syrup.

Of course, the process of making candied watermelon rinds cannot be called very fast - it lasts about 2-3 days, but the result exceeds all expectations and is clearly worth the trouble. An excellent delicacy made from a seemingly unedible product will be appreciated by both guests and household members.