Winter Market Score

Who says you can't get cool stuff at a winter market in the Midwest?

Earlier this year, one of my favorite vendors had some ginormous yellow citrus fruits. I asked what they were, while simultaneously digging for money. Ponderosa Lemons, a hybrid of lemon and citron had found their way to my market. This slow growing tree had lived in this generous grower's green house for 20 years and she was sharing this wealth of unusual citrus.

I bought as many as I could, without being piggish and without a clue what wonderful thing I would do with them. It immediately became clear my food project needed to be one utilizing all of the the fruit, not just the juice. I wanted to taste them in different ways. Preserving the flavor to enjoy it for a long time would be a bonus. Who knows when this gem would come my way again?

I started with candied citrus. Though you may think it lame, it's one of my favorite treats since a childhood. With the fruit I made my first marmalade incorporating oranges and pomelos  (more on that soon.)

 

It's a truly simple project and may be made with any type of citrus. You'll find a recipe most anywhere. This one is more traditional but a version like this would be fun in the rosemary-lemonade cake suggested by the same cook. They fancy-up a simple cake like this yellow house blast from the past, too.

A toss with superfine sugar makes them sparkle.

 

The security of a jar full.

 

The pleasure of a handful.