The average American eats 12.5 pounds of citrus each year. I searched for the average peel to fruit ratio but found nothing credible. I did have this juicy and delicious mineola on hand, however.
Holy cow! The peel accounted for fifty-three grams—23 percent—of this orange. Let’s assume the average peel weighs even less. Even a 15 to 85 peel to fruit ratiotranslates tohundreds of millions of pounds of peels in the trash every year. When thosepeels break down in landfill, they release methane gas, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. (Compost those same peels and they actuallysequester carbon.)
But now for the good news! These peels have many uses. One caution though, if you want to cook with them, I would choose organic. I find the idea of eating pesticide-sprayed peels extremely, well, unappealing (hardy har har…).
Looking for recipes for the lemons themselves? Go here for seven simple recipes for lemon season.
1 Candy the peels
Remove as much pith as possible from the peels of 4 to 6 citrus fruits. Simmer in water for about 25 minutes. Drain. Boil 1/2 cup water and add 1/4 sugar to dissolve. Add peels, return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Let dry on wire rack. Read the full post here on candying peels.
2 Freeze citrus zest
Before juicing a lemon or lime or eating an orange, quickly zest it and tuck that zest away in the freezer. When citrus is not longer in season, you’ll have zest on hand for baking cookies and cakes or sprinkling onto salads, fresh fruit, oatmeal and more.
3 Make citrus salt
Or don’t freeze all that zest and turn some of it into citrus salt. Rub together 1 part salt to 1 part lemon zest with your fingers. This will break up the clumps of zest. Store in a jar. Mix the zest with an equal amount of coarse sea salt and use your concoction for seasoning vegetables, pasta, rice, risotto, soup and more. Go here for more information.
4 Clean your home
Citrus peels contain d-Limonene, a natural compound that breaks down oil and grease. In a sealed jar, submerge orange peels in white vinegar for at least two weeks. Strain and use your cleaner around your home, either full-strength or diluted with water. I tried this using my homemade scrap vinegar.
5 Clean your sink
Zest all the oranges and lemons for a simple, effective scouring powder. Save money, use up more food scraps and enjoy a truly natural scent. Go here for the recipe.
6 Repel garden pests
D-Limonene also kills ants and aphids. Place orange or lemon peels around plants affected by aphids or tear pieces of peels and hang them on stems near affected areas.
7 Toss on compost
Like other fruit and vegetable scraps, citrus peels add nitrogen to the compost pile. Cut them into small pieces to degrade faster.
8 Make orange essential oil
Remove as much pith as possible, dry the peels, cut into small pieces and place in a jar. Pour vodka over peels just until covered and shake a few times a day for at least three days. Strain. Keep uncovered to allow alcohol to evaporate. You’ll be left with oil. Here’s a tutorial with more details.
9 Blend with tea
Mince orange peels into small bits. Spread out on a dish for 1 to 2 days until dry. Combine with looseleaf black tea and, if desired, spices such as fennel, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger or cloves. Here’s my post on making looseleaf chai with orange peels.
10 Add to roasted dishes
To impart a citrus flavor, toss a few large orange or lemon peels in with roasted vegetables or stuff peels into the cavity of a chicken.
11 Make marmalade
This delicious fruit preserve uses the entire fruit and can be made with a either a single type of citrus or with a combination. This Alton Brown marmalade recipe looks delicious.
12 Make limoncello (or lime-cello or even orange-cello)
Peel the skin with a vegetable peeler to avoid the pith, steep in vodka for several days or longer, strain out the peels and dilute the lemony vodka with a simple syrup. Go here for the recipe.
Check out my award-winning cookbook!
- Taste Canadasilver for single-subject cookbooks
- Second-placeGourmand cookbook awardin the category of food waste
- Shortlisted for an award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals
Learn more about my book here.
