I’d never made candied pumpkin before, and it turns out I was wrong. They’re so delicious and mouthwatering that I don’t have time to make them anymore—they’ve become a perfect substitute for candy with tea. I’ve already turned half my pumpkin harvest into these amazing treats.

First, take the pumpkin, cut it into wedges, remove the seeds, and peel it. A clean pumpkin weighs about 3 kg, so cut it into 5-7 mm thick pieces.

Next, choose a suitable-sized saucepan and place the prepared pumpkin pieces in it, sprinkling them with sugar. For every kilogram of pumpkin, add half a kilogram of sugar. Since I have 3 kg of pumpkin, I use 1.5 kg of sugar. Let the pumpkin sit for 3-4 hours to release its juices. If the pumpkin is dry and releases little liquid, you can add about 200 ml of water. In my case, this is not necessary, as there is enough liquid.

Place the pan on the stove. I personally like candied fruit with a tart flavor, so I add 1 teaspoon of citric acid. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let it sit for 3-4 hours. Repeat this process three more times, for a total of four cycles. You can taste the pumpkin and add more citric acid if needed. The resulting pieces should be translucent and fragrant.

Place the pumpkin in a colander to drain off excess liquid. Then spread it out on drying trays, leaving space between each piece. Place the trays in the dehydrator, set the temperature to 65 degrees Celsius, and let it dry for a little over 24 hours.

The candied fruit is ready by its appearance and stickiness—it shouldn’t stick to your hands or form a seal. After turning off the dehydrator, transfer the candied fruit to a container and seal tightly. Store in an airtight container to prevent moisture from entering.

This process may seem time-consuming, but it actually requires minimal intervention: just chop the pumpkin, bring it to a boil, and arrange it on trays—time does the rest. The end result is candied fruit that looks like it’s made from some exotic fruit, bright and inviting, simply tempting to try.