Candied Citrus Rind...

I don't know why I never did this before.

That's a lie, I do know...

it's because I never grew my own lemons before and wasn't attached like I am now.

I had already juiced these, so now I needed to remove the pith.

Hmmm...how to do this?

I used my melon ball tool and can't rave enough about the amazing job it did scrapping off the white part.

I then used my pizza cutter to shred the rind into strips.

Bloody brilliant.

I read more recipes about candied peel than was ever necessary.  

My trouble was - everyone had a different opinion on how many times to blanch the peel.

I went with three - seems to be the traditional amount and I wan't looking for a short cut.

How to blanch:

drop your rind if fresh cold water, bring to a boil, drain.

repeat, repeat.

After three dips & boils in water, it was time to simmer them in sugar water.

I had two cups water and added two cups sugar.

Brought them to a boil, then simmered for 15 minutes.

Here's where I got very clever...or ridiculously thrifty...

After simmering the rind in sugar water, I strained the rind over a large jar and kept the sugar water.

This is exactly how to make simple syrup, only now, it's lemon infused!

Hello Holiday Cocktails!!!

After straining the rind, toss it around in a bowl of sugar till coated and place on a parchment or wax paper to dry.

Once it's dry it can go into a container for a few weeks.

Mine is going into scones tomorrow for the ladie...if I stop eating it.

Another note:

Save the sugar you tossed the rind in.  It's also infused with lemon and is perfect for baking.