Lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit can be all be transformed into a sweet snack or pretty garnish. 

Recipe: Julie Legg

Use any citrus in quantities suitable to your needs. Scrub citrus clean, then cut into small wedges and separate peel from flesh with a veggie knife. (Set aside the flesh for juicing.) Cut peel into thin slithers.

Fill a saucepan with cold water and add citrus strips. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Drain. Return peel to saucepan and top with cold water, covering it by a few centimetres. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes. This process helps extract bitterness from the rind.

Drain peel and reserve water and measure it. For every 100ml of water add 100g of white sugar. Heat gently in saucepan, stirring until all sugar dissolves. Add peel and simmer for 30 minutes until soft and translucent but still holding form. Remove from heat and allow peel and syrup to cool.

Preheat oven to 50°C. Use a slotted spoon to remove peel from syrup. Arrange strips in a single layer on a rack suspended over an oven tray lined with baking paper to catch drips. Oven dry for 60 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle sugar onto baking paper; roll each citrus slither in sugar.

Spread out to dry for about an hour. Store in an airtight container.

TIP

Enjoy as a sweet snack; cut finely or leave in strands to decorate baking or desserts; dip ends into melted dark chocolate and package up for a delicious homemade gift.

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Read more stories like these in our latest special edition, Sustainability Through the Seasons.