Anyone who grows citrus trees at home knows this well: the trees can produce a great deal of fruit, and often we do not manage to pick it all before it falls to the ground, or before it begins to spoil.
Bar Cohen, one of our team members, has wonderfully skilled hands. He is also teaching our “From Field to Pantry” course, which focuses on processing raw ingredients. He taught us another preservation method for the many oranges we pick from the trees in Neve Eitan.
Sugarless, of course!
Ingredients:
- Oranges; the variety will affect the sweetness of the finished candies
Instructions:
- Cut the oranges into slices about 1/2 in (1 cm) thick.
- Arrange the slices on an oven tray or on the firm drying tray of a food dehydrator.
- Set the oven or dehydrator to 120°F (50°C). If using a home oven, use convection if you have it, and leave the oven door slightly open so the moisture can escape.
- Remove the slices after about 30 hours, or when their texture is crisp enough that you can break them with your hand.
- Separate the dried orange flesh from the peel, and grind the flesh in a blender into a fine powder.
- Take about 1/2 teaspoon of the powder and press it firmly between your fingers until it forms a small ball.
- Optional: roll the candies in spices or other additions to taste, such as ginger powder or coconut flakes. You can also add them to homemade chocolate.
- For orange salt from the leftover peels, weigh the peels and add an equal weight of coarse salt.
- Grind the peels and salt together in a blender until you have a fine salt.
- Use the orange salt for seasoning. It gives wonderful flavor to salad dressings, meat, and more.
