Make Natural Candy Using Florida Oranges

If you are looking for a unique gift to give your friends and loved ones, or if you want to make some delicious natural sweet treats that you can enjoy without feeling guilty use delicious Florida oranges to create candied orange peels. You can use all sorts of citrus fruits, not just Florida oranges, to make these delicious homemade treats but Florida oranges are perfect for candying. Natural candied citrus peels are cheap to make, delicious to eat, and ideal for gift giving. You can give a jar of candied Florida oranges to friends and loved ones for Valentines Day, birthdays, or holidays. And you don’t need any special equipment or ingredients to make these super sweet and tangy treats. All you need are Florida oranges, and some grapefruits, tangerines or other citrus fruits if you want to create some other flavors as well. Candying the peels of Florida oranges and other citrus fruit is a super fun project for a rainy day to keep kids occupied and they are fun for grownups to make too. Here’s how you do it:

Take several Florida oranges, grapefruits, and other citrus fruits. Wash them. Cut the fruit into four to six equal sections, leaving the peel on the fruit. Once the fruit is sectioned take a paring knife and carefully slice the peel off the fruit. Use the paring knife to remove all of the pith from the inside of the peel. It’s very important to remove all the pith, because pith tastes very sour and not very good at all and it will make your candy not taste very good.

Once you have all the pith removed slice the peel into small pieces about a quarter of an inch to half an inch wide and an inch or two long. You can use the leftover fruit from the Florida oranges to make orange juice, or just eat them, they’re delicious. Put the peels of the Florida oranges , grapefruits and other citrus fruits into a saucepan. Bring them to a boil and then drain the water and remove the peels. Start over again and put the peels in a saucepan and bring them a boil. Then drain them and remove them from the pan. Do that a total of three times. Then remove the peels for the last time and let them cool down.

When the peels from the Florida oranges are cool roll them in granulated sugar and place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet or on a cookie rack. When they are dry you will have delicious candy made from Florida oranges.

Taste the Sunshine with Hale Groves

At Hale Groves, we believe the best gifts come from the land, not a factory. For generations, our fruit has been grown slowly under the Florida sun, picked at its peak, and delivered fresh to your door. From sweet Navel Oranges to rare Honeybells, every gift shares the simple joy of real flavor—perfect for holidays, milestones, or everyday moments worth celebrating.

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