Favorite Raw Lemon Candy for the kids!
It's hard to imagine that a picky eater (like our 13 year old) would like something like raw lemons. The strong tart flavor is usually not appealing to children who tend toward bland foods. It's my experience that picky eaters (the ones that I have been lucky enough to know) choose foods like: white rice, bread, jack cheese, corn, tortillas, chicken, turkey, sour cream, etc... notice they all lack color and are mostly mild in flavor. Picky eaters will choose sweets over sours, unless sours are very sweet. You can sometimes get them to eat colors like broccoli, carrots or lettuce, but they need to be overcooked or hidden with lots of sauce (usually sweet ketchup), or butter to be acceptable.
Our going raw has been a slight struggle for the picky eater in our household. Although she is trying things, so are we. We recently came up with these dehydrated lemons that were very satisfactory. They were sweet, sour and raw so we were all happy! While we were making the kids lunches these snacks were one of their favorites.
Start with some large, juicy lemons. Myers are wonderful, but anything will do. Slice them into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Coat them with raw cane sugar on both sides and dehydrate approx. 5 to 7 days. They are done when they are crispy and sound like a poker chip, lacking all moisture. If any moisture is present they won't keep. Package in air tight jar. They will last approx 2 weeks. Serving size 1/2 to 1/4 slice. Send extra in school lunches so the kids can share!!
These are ready to go in the dehydrator.
After dehydrating and ready for an air tight jar.
The sugar had crystallized and the lemons look like stained glass. The kids and their friends loved this "candy" and the sourness makes them last a little while like a hard candy. We didn't feel too bad about indulging them with these raw treats. Note: Lemon can be damaging to tooth enamel, please eat in small quantities and brush after indulging
.
If you have a picky eater the Mayo clinic had some good suggestions. 10 tips for picky eaters
Do you have a picky eater? What are you doing to help them eat more nutritious foods?
Our going raw has been a slight struggle for the picky eater in our household. Although she is trying things, so are we. We recently came up with these dehydrated lemons that were very satisfactory. They were sweet, sour and raw so we were all happy! While we were making the kids lunches these snacks were one of their favorites.
Start with some large, juicy lemons. Myers are wonderful, but anything will do. Slice them into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Coat them with raw cane sugar on both sides and dehydrate approx. 5 to 7 days. They are done when they are crispy and sound like a poker chip, lacking all moisture. If any moisture is present they won't keep. Package in air tight jar. They will last approx 2 weeks. Serving size 1/2 to 1/4 slice. Send extra in school lunches so the kids can share!!
These are ready to go in the dehydrator.
After dehydrating and ready for an air tight jar.
The sugar had crystallized and the lemons look like stained glass. The kids and their friends loved this "candy" and the sourness makes them last a little while like a hard candy. We didn't feel too bad about indulging them with these raw treats. Note: Lemon can be damaging to tooth enamel, please eat in small quantities and brush after indulging
.If you have a picky eater the Mayo clinic had some good suggestions. 10 tips for picky eaters
Do you have a picky eater? What are you doing to help them eat more nutritious foods?
Posted by Toni at 12/8/2009 7:54 PM 
Categories: Recipes
Tags: raw lemon candy raw kid snacks dehydrated lemon candy
Categories: Recipes
Tags: raw lemon candy raw kid snacks dehydrated lemon candy
What a brilliant idea! thanks!
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The kids other favorite is the fruit leather. It's easy and has no preservatives or added sugar! Raw Fruit Leather recipe. We still have some from the large batches I made over the summer.
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Sounds yummy, however, I've helped many people who have had a problem with loss of tooth enamel from eating too many lemons and other citrus. I think it's important to advise people to brush after eating dried lemon, which would be harder on the teeth because of how it sticks to the teeth. I'm really impressed with your blogs, you are doing a great job and are making a difference in so many lives! I'd like to invite you to check out my site at http://rawfoodrene.com
Have an amazing day!
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Rene,
Thank you for the comment. We do only give these out as special treats and in very small quantities. I will add a tidbit on brushing after eating.
Love your site already and your recipe book is wonderful also! You are a wonderful inspiration!
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Thanks for your thought-provoking comment. The 'vegan' 'raw' labeling discussion is very important..Not everything with those labels are 100% healthy. It's true.I always look at Whole Foods 365 brand cookies and products and am sometimes shocked by the lack of nutrient dense ingredients in them.
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Don’t stop writing, you’ve given me lots of good info!
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A raw food diet must be harsh on kids, especially teenagers! If you raise them from infancy in it, they might not mind, but such a big shift must be quite difficult, given that they have access to friends, a cafeteria and fast food joints where they can get their favourite, cooked foods. Good luck!
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It's the introduction to good food that is the most important for kids of any age. If they know the difference between good food and bad food they will eventually make the right choices when away from home. Once they realize that good food makes them feel and perform better we hope they will crave the better choices. Parents need to make the good food available at home. No fast foods, no deep fried foods. If they get fast foods and fried foods away from the home, hopefully the meals that are eaten at home will be nutritious enough to give them what they need to have a healthy happy day. We are not strict about uncooked foods in our home, we are strict about unprocessed packaged foods. What are hot dogs made out of? If we can make it without the processing and they taste good, then we'll give them hot dogs!
Thanks for your comment.
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