Dehydrated Zucchini Candy

 

Apple Lemon Gummy Worms

I’ve heard so much about dehydrated zucchini candy.  The problem for me is that I’m a bit concerned about using products such as koolaide in the recipe.  Then someone mentioned using pineapple juice.  So I decided to give it a try.

 

Super Zucchini

A friend gave me several huge zucchinis. I couldn’t find pineapple juice at the store, so I decided to try it with apple juice.

 

 

Easy Slicing

Being a basically lazy person, I decided to use my julienne machine for cutting the zukes instead of hand-slicing them.  I cut chunks big enough to fit the machine.

 

This was using my ¼ inch blade. It made just the right size pieces.

 

I didn’t have enough slices for the entire recipe, so I made half a recipe.

Here is the basic recipe I used:

Ingredients:

• 24 oz. apple juice
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 5 cups peeled diced zucchini 1/4 inch strips about 4 inches long

Simmering

I dropped my zuke strips in the candy syrup mixture and simmered it. Watch it carefully, or it will boil over.  I had intended to cook it to the soft candy temperature (220º) on my candy thermometer, but that doesn’t work at high altitude.  Water boils at a lower temperature at high altitudes.  The thermometer never got over 200º.  It took about 45 minutes for it to finish cooking.

Glassy Candy

When the zukes have candied, they will have a glassy, somewhat clear look about them.

Give the racks a slight mist with non-stick spray.  anything with large quantities of sugar will be sticky.These were racked and dried at 115º for about two days.  Drying time will depend on the sugar content and the humidity.  If it seems sticky, just keep it in the drier for a day or two longer. Everyone I offered them to just loved them!
 

Versatile Recipe:
I think my next batch will be made with lemon juice and sugar for a nice, tangy treat.  You can try whatever flavors you like. Just vary the type of juice you use.

Linda’s Note:  Please don’t assume that because this candy treat is made from zucchinis, that it is a more wholesome candy for folks.  First, the extended high temperatures required to turn it into candy pretty much destroys the nutrients in the zucchini.  Next, it is high in sugar.  I think the two advantages of zuke candy is that it’s an interesting way to use zucchini, and at least it doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup.