Here's another version of lebkuchen, posted on the Harvest Forum by Alison. She says it's a traditional recipe, the one used since she was a small child. Notice it takes "curing" in a crock to make them soft and she says they will keep for a year! Alison's Lebkuchen 4C flour, sifted 5 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 2/3 C honey 1 1/4 C sugar 1/3 C shortening (usually margarine) 1 egg 1 T water glaze: 2 T butter or margarine 1/4 C honey blanched whole almonds Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves onto waxed paper. Combine 2/3 C honey, sugar, and 1/3 C butter or margarine in a saucepan big enough to mix the dough in. Heat, stirring constantly, just to boiling. Cool slightly. Beat egg and water in small bowl, stir into honey mixture, then add flour 1/3 at a time, blending well. Turn out on lightly floured board and knead 3 min. or until smooth. Chill 1 hour or until firm. Roll out dough 1/2 inch thick on a floured board. Cut into 1 1/2" squares. Place 1" apart on greased cookie sheets; reroll trimmings and cut again. Melt 2T butter or margarine in a small saucepan, stir in the 1/4C honey. Brush over cookies, press whole almonds into tops. Bake at 300 for 25 minutes or until firm and golden; cool completely on racks. ---- As they cool they get harder, until a day or so later they're little rocks. Then we load them into the crock, with a slice of apple if we're late that year, and wait for them to get soft. They keep for at least a year after that. I've got a batch of these in my version of a crock, Tupperware. LOL They aren't soft yet. Annie

I took advantage of that "$40 a yr membership" when it was first offered back a couple months ago. I have already earned back the $40 and now feel I am home free. It is an automatic renewal one yr later, need to be on your toes and cancel if you do not want an additional yr. I usually stay away from automatic renewals. I do more and more online ordering of 'special things " . For instance just recently CF had a discussion on Grade B maple syrup. I had finally gave up hunting for it in local grocery stores, I use it in a KA maple oatmeal bread recipe. I think it was annie 92 or grainlady who said they ordered it online and froze the balance. Yep there it was on line....and it freezes well. See all the knowledge here on CF!! Shirl

Sure. These instructions for candied peel come from a fabulous site run by T.P. Skaarup. He devoted himself to the chemistry of candy. Unfortunately the site has been shut down but recipes can be posted with credit. CANDIED PEEL 2 cups Sugar (as 1 cup + 1 cup) 3/4 cup Water 3 tbsp Corn Syrup (light) Peel of (choose one): 3 Oranges 2 Grapefruit 6 Lemons PREPARE THE PEEL Peel the fruit into large strips which should include the zest (colored outer peel) and white. Excessive white peel should be removed a moderate amount should remain. Place the peel into a saucepan or frying pan and add water until covered. Bring to a simmer for 30 minutes. Drain, cover with cold water, and bring to a simmer until the peel is tender. Drain and cut the peel into thin strips about 1/4" wide and 2-3 inches long. PREPARE THE SYRUP Mix 1 cup of sugar with the corn syrup and water in a 3 quart saucepan and dissolve over a medium-low heat. Add the sliced peel and cook under low heat until most of the syrup has been taken up. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand overnight. THE NEXT DAY Return to heat and bring to a simmer, then cool slightly and drain. Spread out newspaper and cover with a couple of layers of paper towels. Spread out the remaining sugar and roll the warm peels until thoroughly covered. Let them stand uncovered until dry. Store in an airtight container. Lasts months. NOTE: Excellent taste and easy to prepare but it takes time. Consider making a double batch. My Note: I found ½ cup of sugar was just the right amount for rolling the candied peel in at the end, so for me it was 1 ½ cups total, not 2 cups. I prefer to refrigerate/freeze for longest life. Especially in warm weather the candied peel can mold. Carol

I had some rock-hard candied citrus peel that I needed to mince for a Christmas cookie recipe. I only make these cookies once a year and they only call for a little bit of the peel, so every year I'm dealing with using old candied peel vs buying a fresh container of which I'll only use a fraction. I read the idea about trying to hydrate it using humidity...my solution was to place a little bowl containing the hardened peel in my steamer basket and steaming it gently for a few minutes. It worked perfectly! The peel was softened and moistened, it's texture restored to how it was when I first bought it. I was worried if it cooled completely it might get hard again, so I made sure to mince it and add it to the other cookie ingredients while still warm. Glad I didn't have to go out and buy a whole new container, since I only needed a couple tablespoons.