Citrus Peels

If you eat seasonally, which gives you the best “bang” for your buck, you will notice that citrus fruit abounds this time of year.Whether your preference is a variety of oranges, red or white grapefruit, limes, lemons or plumellos they all offer the Vitamin C your body needs at this time of year.If you are cheap aka frugal, like me, then you will wonder about finding something to do with all those citrus peels destined for your compost bin.Well….here are two of the things I do with them.

Kitchen Degreaser/Cleaner

So, we all know about the nasty chemicals found in most kitchen cleaners and want to stay clear but, we also want a clean kitchen that smells great and don’t want to spend a lot of money finding the right product.Well, you can make your own lemony scented degreaser/cleaner for next to nothing.

Place any citrus peels you remove from your fruit into a glass jar and cover them with plain white vinegar.Every time you have a piece of citrus fruit, add the peels to the jar and add more vinegar until your jar if full.At this point, place a lid on the jar and let it sit on the counter for two weeks. Give it a shake every once in a while when you remember.This will help to draw out the citrus oils that contain d-limonene which is the component that has the degreasing/cleaning power.After the two weeks is up, strain the mixture (be sure to squeeze out every last drop from the peels) and mix it 1:1 with water into a spray bottle.To give this cleaner even more “oomph” add a couple of drops of Rosemary essential oil which is known for its anti-bacterial properties. 

Citrus Zest

If possible, choose organic fruit if you are planning on making this as you will be ingesting it or just
wash, dry and peel the fruit.Using a
citrus zester or the small holes on a box grater, grate off only the top layer of the citrus peel.You do not want to go so far down that you put any of the white membrane, pith, into your zest.Transfer the grated zest on to a piece of parchment paper and spread out in an even layer.You can let this dry on the counter for a couple of days or to speed things up, place in a 200 degree oven for an hour or so.You can also place in a dehydrator on the lowest setting for a couple of hours.When the grated zest is dry, you can make into a powder by whirling around in a coffee grinder or leave it at the coarse stage.Place in a clean, dry glass jar away from direct
sunlight for storing.To use, slightly crush the zest between your fingers to release
the volatile oils before adding to your dish.I love adding this zest to baked goods or chicken
and fish dishes.

P.S. I have also been known to add some to a hot Epsom salt bath with lavender essential oil and powdered milk. Heavenly!