My understanding, especially after I looked at the recipe, is that they mean the candied peel that one uses in fruit cakes, for instance. This time of year you should see the plastic containers of candied pineapple, cherries, mixed fruits, etc., ... and hopefully you can find just the candied orange or lemon peel.

While it is true that you can "make" your own candied peel (and I've done that with thin slices of orange and grapefruit years ago, and it is a lengthy process), but you don't want to try and cook that up now just for the recipe.

And I don't believe that just slicing the peel from a fresh piece of citrus fruit would give you (and the recipe) the true taste it needs. But that's an option, of course. One-quarter cup isn't a huge amount.

This recipe actually looks really delicious to me, and I bet it has the taste of almost-mincemeat. While that might not appeal to you, it does me! ha ha

I hope you let us know how it turns out, and what you think of it. Good luck.

Oh, and you do know that the "white raisins" the recipe calls for are really golden raisins, right? You should be able to find those in any major supermarket along with the boxed standard darker raisins.

Candied peel is certainly an option. Many sources sell candied lemon peel and candied orange peel as well as citron individually.

However, I've also seen this same old USDA recipe reprinted in Southern Living using 2 T. grated lemon peel and 2 T. grated orange peel in lieu of the candied.

I would think either candied or fresh would work equally well.

Carol