Oranges: A Movie, a Recipe, and a Book
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.
“I think angels eat oranges in heaven.”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.
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
