You can not only buy candied fruits in the store, but also make your own home from cheap seasonal berries, vegetables, and fruits. Few people know that there is a recipe for their preparation of zucchini in the dryer. So housewives stock up on vegetables for the winter, fully preserving its nutritional value.
Features of preparation of candied zucchini
Syrup for zucchini is prepared in a special way, as this vegetable is neutral. If you cook, you get sweet, but without a pronounced taste. In order for candied fruits to have a flavor note, in addition to sugar, other components are added to the syrup, which give sourness and tint:
- dogwood;
- lemon;
- orange;
- blackberry;
- raspberries;
- Red currants;
- gooseberry;
- black ashberry;
- ginger;
- cinnamon;
- others.
For the preparation of candied zucchini need to grindWith zucchini remove the skin, cut into cubes. To blanch, that is, hold for a couple of minutes in boiling water, then immediately shift into cold water. This will help create a thin, dense crust on candied fruit, and inside it will leave them juicy and soft.
Thus, with further processing, the pieces will not be boiled out and will retain their shape. Then pour vegetable cubes into boiling syrup, boil for 5 minutes and turn off. Make these two approaches within half an hour, and candied fruits will be ready. Transfer to a strainer and allow excess liquid to drain.
Young squash with delicate skin can not be cleaned. If the zucchini is old, split lengthwise into 4 parts, remove the seeds and cut into thin slices. At the exit, such candied fruits will look like lemon slices. And if, when cooking in syrup, add juice and peel of citrus fruits, then the taste will not be distinguished.
Mature fruit is preformed. Vegetable Recipes
Candied zucchini dried using various means. This oven, gas oven, electric dryer. Dried candied and old-fashioned way, - on the air in the shade. It all depends on the preferences of the hostess, who is engaged in harvesting vegetables for the winter.
In the oven
Next, transfer the candied fruit to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (Teflon sheet), put in the oven. Excess moisture will evaporate over several hours. Squash should be distributed in a thin layer so that they do not interfere with each other. The fire should not be very strong, about +60 - +70 C. From time to time it is necessary to look inside and mix the contents.
While cooking candied zucchini you need to constantly stirDrying candied fruit usually takes at least two hours. Time may be different each time, it depends on the zucchini. Two hours later, the oven should be opened, try the consistency and taste of candied fruit. If they are still wet, the process continues. When candied fruits do not emit moisture when pressed with a finger, turn out to be rather elastic, then cooking can be finished.
If there is a ventilation function, it is also necessary to turn it on. This will allow you to more evenly distribute the effects of hot air on vegetables.
In the dryer
A very common way now to prepare fruits and vegetables for the winter is to dry them with the help of modern dryers, for example, VOLTERA 1000 Lux. Thanks to this device, products retain most of their beneficial properties during such processing. And then they can be kept for a very long time, almost the whole year, until the new harvest. Electric dryers are of two types:
- Infrared, radiation is absorbed by moisture, which intensively evaporates at low temperatures from +40 to +60 C. More expensive, but allow you to almost completely retain the properties of the original product.
- Convection, equipped with heating elements that heat the air, and in many models with a fan to help blow the vegetables and remove evaporated moisture from their surface.
The dryer allows you to cook candied fruits without any hassle.Cut slices (cubes) of zucchini spread out on the grid dryers pallets, select the temperature regime (+60 - +70 C) and drying time (6-8 hours). If the lower layers are dry, and the upper layers are still wet, periodically change them in places.
On air
Candied fruits can be dried in a natural way, at room temperature. The air must not be humid, otherwise the product will be spoiled or of poor quality. A good place to dry candied fruit will be a balcony, a veranda with a roof. However, this process is not sufficiently respected standards of hygiene. Vegetables are poorly protected from dust, insects.
Dry candied fruits in the air is possible only if there are no sources of contamination.In the microwave
Electromagnetic radiation almost instantly penetrates into the depths of vegetables by 2 cm, sets in motion the water molecules and causes them to evaporate. The speed of the process allows for drying at a very fast rate while maintaining the majority of the natural benefits of the product.
This is one of the fastest ways to make candied fruit. How to properly store and use
Store candied fruit in a well-ventilated room, with normal humidity. If the product becomes damp, mold may appear, making it unsafe for health. Or the surface of candied fruits will become wet, sticky, and this will lead to loss of appearance, taste and nutritional properties.
Putting candied fruit is better in a wooden or paper box covered with parchment. Close tightly and eat for some time. You can put candied fruits in a clean (sterilized) and dry jar, hermetically closed, put in storage in the refrigerator.
Candied fruits are stored in an airtight jar or box.Candied zucchini replaces sweets for children and people with low-calorie diets due to obesity or other diseases. They serve as a filling for sweet pastries, they are added to creams, ice cream, cottage cheese, and various desserts.
Conclusion
Squash in the ripening season is a very cheap and affordable product. Many housewives prepare them for the winter in the form of candied fruits. In winter, candied vegetable pieces will become not only a good addition to a cup of hot tea, but also a rich source of vitamins and other beneficial substances.
Read also about the difference between zucchini and zucchini and how to make candied pumpkin.
