CHAPTER VI
FRUIT CANDIES
Some of the most delicious home-made candies are made with the addition of fruits to the other ingredients. All kinds of candied fruits, also many kinds of dried fruits, such as dates, figs, raisins and prunes may be used in candy-making. Many may not know that just as delicious candies can be made with our home-preserved fruits.
Candied fruits are in most cases expensive, but they can be made at home, and therefore the expense cut down. Cherries can be candied in the following manner: Select nice, large, and not over-ripe cherries for this purpose. Stone them carefully. Weigh the cherries, and to each pound of the fruit add two pounds of sugar, using only the best granulated for this purpose. Put the sugar in a kettle with one-half cupful of water, and boil to a thick syrup, removing all scum as it arises. Place a few of the cherries in at a time, and let simmer slowly until the fruit is transparent. Remove the fruit with a strainer, and add more of them until all have been cooked in this manner. Then place them back in syrup and let them stand over night in it. In the morning remove and place them out in the sun. It is a good idea to place them in a sieve, spreading them over it, and then cover the sieve with netting. They can be dried in the oven if desired, but one must be careful that they do not burn. When dried place in boxes between layers of paraffine paper, sprinkling each layer with powdered sugar. Place in a dry place until ready to use them in making candies. Pears, quinces, pineapples, peaches and plums may all be candied. Select firm-textured fruit and boil until tender in water before placing in the syrup; then proceed as in candying the cherries. Orange and lemon rind may also be candied. Remove the skin from the oranges or lemons in quarters and simmer in water until soft; then drain and remove all the white portion by scraping with a silver knife or spoon. Cut the oranges or lemons into small strips with the scissors, cook in the thick syrup, and roll in granulated sugar.