Oranges, Urban Forager II

the beginning of a weeklong project...

The urban forager is all eyes, always. The success of the urban forager depends on a combination of a certain outdoorsiness, ability to identify edibles from afar, and friendliness. And yet non of these highly developed skills were required for this particular harvest. An invitation to lunch and a playdate with a friend and her twin boys was a reminder of the importance of keeping my little book of foraging addresses current. How could I have forgotten that magnificent orange tree?

The large sweet unidentified oranges with the amazing starlike segment kept me busy all week long. First, a simple orange syrup. And secondly, candied orange peels. The syrup is incredibly easy to make and a great thing to have during the summer. Perfect for cocktails or a spritzer. And I feel very fortunate to live in California, the citrus season has technically ended but my friend’s tree is still full of beautiful oranges. I may have to arrange for another play date soon, very soon.

                 

 

the rewards

Orange Syrup:

1. Oranges
2. Sugar 
3. Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) 

• Wash and cut the oranges in half. Squeeze each half carefully, setting the juiced orange shells aside.
• Oranges are pulpy so strain the juice through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
• The ratio for this syrup is as follows:                                                                                                                                                             1 cup juice : 1 cup sugar : 3/4 cup water
• Bring to a boil and let simmer for  1o minutes. 
• Remove from heat and add a large handful of lemon balm, leave to steep overnight.
• In the morning, remove the lemon balm and jar the syrup.

Candied Orange Peels, a Recipe from Medieval Spain

1. Juiced orange halves
2. Honey
3. Cardamon, mace, and dry ginger 
4. Sugar

Day 1:

• Place orange halves in a large bowl
• Cover with water, changing the water throughout the day
• N.B. if the day is hot, place bowl in the refrigerator. The rind will start to mold!

Day 2:

• Drain the oranges.
• With the serrated edge of a grapefruit spoon, scoop out all the membrane and remaining pulp from each orange half. If necessary, use a paring knife to finish removing as much of the pith as possible. 
• Set aside. When you are finished with the whole lot, place in a bowl, cover with a paper towel, and place in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Day 4:

• Remove bowl from refrigerator, orange peels should be soft enough to cut but significantly more dry
• Start cutting peels into slices, as you please
• This easy forage produced 1 3/4 pounds of peel.
• In a large pot, add 3 cups honey, 5 green cardamon seeds, and one tablespoon mace. Heat gently.
• When honey is evenly warmed, add the orange peels.
• Gently simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often. Remove, let cool, and taste a peel. It should be soft, if not, simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Line cookie sheets with wax paper. Using tongs, carefully remove peels and place on cookie sheets, layering singly.
• Leave to “dry” for a full day. The goal is for the peels to be as dry as possible but, remember, they will be sticky.
• Place honey in a covered jar. This honey is infused with the orange oils and spices, perfect over vanilla ice-cream, ricotta cheese, cheesecake, in crepes…

Day 5:

• In a large bowl, combine 3 cups caster sugar, 2 tablespoons dried ginger, and 1 teaspoon mace. Mix well.
• Gently toss the orange peels, a handful at a time, and set aside.
• Once  all peels are complete, pack in airtight jars.

Both the syrup and candied peels are easy to make, the peels just take a bit longer. My daughter loves the syrup with fizzy water, she calls it her “special drink.” My special drink is syrup on ice with chilled vodka and a dash of fleur de sel, as a friend suggested. We’ve both been drinking our “special drink” all week, perfect at the end of a hot summer day. As for the candied peel, it is delicious all on it’s own but I’m sure it would make a great addition to most any dessert.