This sweet rabbit trail began when I watched my husband peel a gorgeous orange to share with me. The aroma was so heavenly, it’s no wonder oranges were savored as Christmas presents, sometimes the tale-tale bulge in the toe of a Christmas stocking that also held hard candies and all sorts of nuts still in their shells.
After savoring my share of bliss, I googled oranges and Christmas, and found this delightful Christmas Oranges film, which I took the time to watch. It’s Hallmark-y and predictable, but the characters are winsome (except for the grumpy fella, until the end). If you’ve got the time to watch, you’ll end up with a pleasant lump in your throat, or tears. Or both.
Candied Orange Rind
I made candied orange rind one year. When oranges were rare in Iowa’s early days, I bet my foremothers found a way to enjoy orange rinds, possibly using a similar recipe.
Candied Orange Rind 4 large navel oranges, washed (I used a fruit/vegetable wash) 2 cups water 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon salt Peel the oranges, saving the peels. Strip off the bitter pith (white spongy albedo). Cut into thin strips, about 1/4 inch wide and 2-4 inches long. Simmer the strips in water, 1 cup of sugar, and the salt about 20 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Turn off heat and let rest 5-10 minutes. Arrange a drying rack with waxed paper underneath. Use tongs to lift peels to the rack to dry and cool about 15 minutes. Toss them in the remaining sugar to coat. Let dry completely at room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. They won't last that long. I don't think my original recipe included vanilla extract or salt. I used my fingers to arrange them on the rack. Even though I stripped off as much pith as I could, these thick rinds made for awfully tart candies.
A Book
John McPhee wrote a whole book about Oranges, everything you ever wanted to know and then some! You can’t believe how many types of oranges there are, and which side of a tree grows the sweetest oranges, and that they are grafted onto sour lemon tree stock. (It reminds me of the banana book my daughter-in-law loaned me earlier this year.)
This entire blog post was inspired by the heavenly aroma in the kitchen when my favorite Guy peeled a delectable orange.
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.” – Genesis 1:29
Thank you for the recipe and the lovely story. I too often take oranges for granted.
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I did too, but I sure won’t again. But you live among them, don’t you? The book about oranges is just fascinating!
haha, they don’t grow down this far south any more. The groves have moved north. But still, the best fruit and vegetables are shipped out of Florida – more money that way.
I was amazed to read how weather and plant diseases keep groves shifting so often. How challenging for growers!
They’ve been through quite a lot over the years. I used to know quite a few. They’re a strong bunch!!
I have a recipe from a friend for a cranberry compote that includes candying some orange peel. It’s divine with the cranberries!
Ooh, that sounds great!
It’s amazing how much a small thing can trigger a memory that leads to a much bigger thing–like a blog post! We kids always had an orange, an apple, and candy in our stockings. As ever-practical, penny-pinching parents, we made sure each of our kids got a new toothbrush in their annual stockings.
Toothbrush? That’s so someday you’d write about it! This blog post rabbit trail happened so quickly, and I already had the book (and could locate it), watched the film, and it was such fun! ha I hoped someone else would also get a kick out of it.
Thanks for the images and recipe. Stockings need an orange and an apple.
Say, I found a recipe of yours in Deborah Garner’s “Nutcracker Sweets at Moonglow”! That was fun to discover with all the other sweets at the end.
I so enjoyed this post! We have an orange tree that produces quite a few oranges. We have some right now. It is a real labor of love with this tree. We leave it outside in the winter months and pull it right inside the glass doors when it gets cold. We have a much smaller lemon tree that has a few lemons on it at the moment. Both trees require citrus fertilizer and we move them around to reach the best light in winter. It is a marvelous thing to have these trees at Christmastime! (It is also a tremendous amount of work! 🙂 )
Oh, to live with citrus trees! Even with the work. Thank you, Linda!
My mother would put a tangerine in our Christmas stockings because they were special. I love tangerines to this day.
And they’re easier to eat!
That, too!
We put orange slices in the hot apple cider and also in teas…if the oranges make it that far.
Ooh, that sounds great! Thanks for the tip.
We watched the ‘Christmas Oranges’ movie. It was very good!!! Thank you! 🙂
You’re welcome. I’d not even heard of it.
Wonderful, Joy. Happy New Year! 😊 ❤️
Thanks. To you as well, Tim!
Thank you for the movie (sounds good!) and book suggestions. When I spotted someone buying candied orange and lemon slices (rinds with the fruit), at Trader Joe’s, I asked their opinion. “Oh, they are SO-O-O good,” she said. I think I’d opt to buy them instead of make them, but it’s very interesting to see how it’s done. Happy New Year, Joy!
Well, it was fun to think about how they did it in the “good old days,” but I’m with you. Trader Joe’s is much easier, and probably tastier!
My husband and I watched ‘Christmas Orange.” I love happy endings to orphan movies and Scrooges who convert to good Samaritans! 🙂
Thank you, Nancy.