Are you looking for the candied dried pineapple and citrus or just dried. I've done both. The candied type will give you a bonus syrup by-product that's delicious on hams and other meats or pancakes, in ice cream etc. but takes several days to do.

Any help you can give Mike, and time isn't an issue. Something to do while it's cold outside!

I'd like to suggest European Candied Orange or Lemon Peel found at King Arthur Flour. I keep this product on hand year-round (as well as European Orange and Lemon Zest). They are great products I use constantly in cooking and baking.

For making your own... Almost any fruit may be candied, as well as watermelon rind, and lemon, orange, or grapefruit peel. Try some chopped apricot for something different.

Cut pineapple, apricots, or watermelon rind into small pieces. Chop cherries or cut in halves. Remove and discard white membrane from lemon, orange, or grapefruit peel and cut into strips or small pieces.

Combine 1 c. granulated sugar, 1 cup honey, and 1-1/2 c. water in a heavy saucepan or iron skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook to 235F, stirring constantly. Drop in small amounts of prepared fruit or fruit peels. You can do a combination of fruit/s and/or peels, it doesn't have to be one kind at a time. Cook over low heat until fruit or rind is transparent, about 25-30 minutes. Drain and repeat until all fruit is candied.

Dehydrate: Spread candied fruit over trays in a thin layer. I use the special sheets (Clean-A-Screen plastic mesh screens) designed for sticky fruits. They make removal a bit easier because they are flexible. Helpful hint: you may find you have to refrigerate a sheet of dried candied fruit to make removal a little easier.

Try to place like-kinds and like-sized items on one rack, or in one area on a rack. This will help assure they are done at about the same time. Dry for 12-18 hours at 120°F until fruit is no longer sticky and centers have no moisture. Stir occasionally and rotate trays once or twice during drying. Sprinkle with sugar and pack in glass jars with tight-fitting lids.

-Grainlady

Grainlady, if you order lemon/orange peel from King Arthur, I think I'll need to rethink. Thanks for the source!

I made candied orange peel over Christmas using grainladys method and it was fun. I used the chopped candied peel in cannolis. I dried them on low temps. in the oven on parchment paper covered cookie sheets.

You can make a lot of candied fruit for a fraction of the cost using this method. Plus you get the syrups to use in drinks, sauces, ice creams, on meats, pancakes, French toast or to sweeten plain yogurt etc. I love the pineapple syrup on hams for a glaze. I especially liked the pineapple,(my favorite candy) citrus peel, and cherries. I dont usually do the apples as they are so sweet in my granola, etc already. Ive also not done the apricots or pears. However Ive made the peaches, plums, and strawberries.
I also tried some blueberries but the skin made it difficult for the candy process to penetrate. Didnt care for those much.

I especially love the candied strawberry (not completely dried) and cherries folded into homemade ice cream, just the berries not the syrup.

When they say they are candied as you can see they are very sweet so a little goes a long way. I like most fruits just dried without candying for eating as well.

Apples - Peel if desired core and cut into ¼" slices
Apricots - Halve, remove pits and then quarter
Cherries - Remove stem, pit and halve.
Citrus peel - Use only the outer 3/16" of skin. Avoid the bitter white under layer. Cover with water, boil 15 min. and drain
Peaches - Dip in boiling water then cold to slip the skins, halve, remove the pit and cut into ½" slices
Pears - Peel, core and cut into ½" slices
Pineapple - Peel, remove thorny sections, core and cut into ½" chunks
Prunes - Halve, remove the stone and pop the backs inside out.
Strawberries - Rinse, dry, hull and leave whole.

The process is the same for all fruits once they are prepared. Candying process takes a total of 4 days.

Combine:
3 cups water
¾ c. corn syrup
1 c. sugar

Bring mixture to a full boil. Add 2-¼ lbs. of fresh fruit. Using a candy thermometer in mixture bring the heat back to 180 degrees. Remove from heat and let stand at room temp for 18-24 hours.

2nd. Day - With slotted spoon remove fruit. Add 1-7/8 c. sugar. Bring syrup to a boil. Remove any foam that forms. Add the fruit back and bring to 180 degrees. Let stand 18-24 hours.

3rd Day - Repeat process on day 2 but add 3 cups sugar.

4th Day - Again repeat procedure of day 2 except only add 1-½ c. sugar.

After 4th day drain fruit in a colander. Save the syrup. Rinse the fruit under cool running water (this step is optional) Arrange in a dehydrator in a single layer and dehydrate at 135 degrees until chewy. It will take about a fourth of the time to dry as fresh fruit will. Vacuum seal. It will last indefinitely this way.

Or you can use grainlady's quicker method. Grainlady has a simple candied watermelon rind that sounds good. I make Ripe watermelon pickles and spiced watermelon rind pickles if you'd like that recipe.
Mike

Mike, yes please! I'm not the OP, but I'd love your pickle recipes!! My mom used to make neon green and red watermelon rind pickles when I was a kid.
I would love to make some for her!

I also buy a cinnamon pickle at a local craft bazaar that is made from big, over ripe cucumbers. Peeled and seeded of course. I couldn't figure out what the base was for a long time and finally caught up with the maker and asked. Since she's selling her pickles, I didn't ask for the recipe, but I did find out that it is cucumbers. I may be able to use the watermelon rind recipe for these too.

Thanks,
Deanna

Thanks to everyone! This sounds wonderful! Mike, even though the candying takes time, it's not too much time out of each day. In my mind, this is the type of thing that yields results far better than anything else on the market.

It's cold down here in FL and my lemon tree still has some fruit on it. Tangerines are in season and they are tart, thin peels. If I can seal the results, I just might try my hand at this in the next few weeks. As long as I can't get out in my garden! My husband is going to be laid up with either radiation or surgery and this might just be the type of project I could do during idle hours.

beachlily Sorry to hear DH is not well. Prayers going out for guidance for the doctors and that the treatment whatever it may be is successful.

dgkritch I usually make all the recipes below when the melons are plentiful as it uses just about all of it. The red part makes the ripe melon pickles, the extra juice from them goes into Watermelon Sherbet, the white rind for rind pickles and the poor chickens have to settle for the green part and seeds. LOL

Watermelon Rind Pickles.

4 qts. cubed watermelon rind
1 c. canning salt
1 gallon cold water
7 c. sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp whole cloves
1 Tbsp whole Allspice
¼ tsp. mustard seed (opt) (I omit this myself)
3 sticks cinnamon
2 c. vinegar

Peel watermelon rind removing the green and red parts. Discard the green skin and set the ripe melon aside for another use. (Ripe Watermelon Pickles below) Cut into 1" pieces. Dissolve salt in water; add rind and let stand 6 hours or overnight. ( I usually fix it at night and then finish them the next day) Drain; rinse. Cook in fresh water until tender, about 20 min. Drain again and set aside. Tie spices in a spice bag. Combine sugar, lemon juice, spice bag and vinegar in a large stock pot. Bring mixture to a boil and cook 10 min. Add rind and simmer until completely transparent. Depends on the rinds and weather as to how long. You have to go by sight on this one. ) Remove spice bag. Pack hot rinds and liquid in hot jars leaving ¼" headspace. Remove air bubbles, Adjust two piece caps. Process in water bath for 10 min. Great on the Thanksgiving Relish Tray! (About 6 pints)

dgkritch - If you try the cukes with this one let me know how they turn out. Sometimes I plant watermelons and sometimes I dont but I always have cukes in the garden for pickles. Maybe seed them first??? Hadnt thought of trying this recipe with them.

Ripe Watermelon Pickles

4 qts. diced red watermelon, seeded (leave chunks fairly large)
5 c. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
½ c. cider vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp cracked cinnamon sticks
1 tsp. whole cloves

Place diced melon in a colander and with your hands squeeze out as much juice as possible. Collect all the juice and set aside for another recipe. (Watermelon Sherbet below) Let drain for 1 hour. Put melon, sugar, salt, vinegar and lemon juice in large heavy kettle. Add spices tied in a bag. Cook slowly for 50-60 min. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove spice bag. Pack at once into hot sterilized jars and seal. Approx. 2 pints.

Also great and pretty on the TG Relish Tray
(This taste like watermelon candy in the middle of winter to me.)

Watermelon Sherbet

3 c. watermelon juice (left from recipe above)
½ c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
Juice of 1 lemon

Mix first 3 ingredients. Remove about ¼ c. to a small saucepan. Soften gelatin in juice in saucepan. Dissolve over hot water or very low heat. Add with lemon juice to first mixture. Freeze in crank type freezer.

Ive made the sherbet this way for years. It needs to set out for a little while as it freezes very hard. Ive thought about adding some milk or stiff egg whites to it to see if that would make a softer mounding sherbet but have not done that as yet. Its very good in the middle of summer the way it is but I also like creamy textured sherbets. Its more like an Italian ice to me I think.

Mike

I just dried some peels from blood oranges we used for a Christmas salad course. 200 degree oven for 10 hours. I put them in a primitive wood bowl and their scent.

I've successfully dried who tiny pineapples by setting on a grate for days in my basement. I tried that once with a large pineapple but it didn't work - just drew bugs. I think it needed some oven heat but can't tell you how long that would have taken.

Sue