If you enjoy oranges, you can have an excess of leftover orange peels in your home, especially during the orange season. Here are some ideas to help you put your leftover orange peels to good use if you're wondering what to do with them instead of putting them in the garbage.
Uses for Extra Orange Peels
Anytime you intend to use leftover orange peels, I advise buying organic oranges to reduce your exposure to pesticides, which are frequently sprayed on citrus fruits.
Dry Orange Peel
Drying leftover orange peels and putting them in your herbal apothecary is a fantastic use for them.
Many herbal medicines benefit greatly from the inclusion of sweet orange peel. It is a warming herb that increases not only dermic but also digestive function (Wood, 2008). Orange peels are the source of the essential oil known as sweet orange (Citrus sinensis), which has many of the same properties as the peel itself.
To dry orange peel, slice it into little pieces and spread it out on a drying screen until it becomes firm and cracks open like a cracker. They can also be dried in a low-temperature oven or in a dehydrator for a number of hours.
Orange zest that is fresh
It never fails that I don't have any oranges on hand when a recipe calls for fresh orange zest. But, one excellent remedy to this issue is to freeze any leftover orange peels.
Every citrus zest, including orange zest, imparts its volatile oil content to your cuisine, and when leftover orange peels are frozen, this volatile oil content is kept in the orange flesh.
If you ever have any leftover orange peels, place them in a glass container and freeze them. If a recipe calls for fresh orange zest, grab one or two peels from your freezer and put them in the refrigerator to defrost later when you prepare your meals for the week.
Homemade Spiced Orange Vinegar
Making an infused orange vinegar cleanser for your home is another thing you can do with leftover orange peels. This vinegar infusion can be made from fresh or frozen orange peels and is useful in a number of ways.
In addition to being excellent for your health, vinegar infusions may be utilized in a range of cuisine recipes and cleaning methods for your home. Vinegar increases the nutritional value of plants by extracting alkaloids, trace elements, and minerals (Forêt, 2008).
Orange peel in syrup
Orange peel scraps can be used to make candied orange peel. They can be consumed on their own or used to dress up other sweets by placing them on top of them. They can be used in a similar way to how dried orange peel is used for health reasons, but since candied orange peel contains sugar, some of the health advantages will be lost.
It's simple to create candied orange peel, which is a fantastic occasional treat, especially during the holidays.
Ingredients
Large oranges, two
4 cups sugar and 3 cups of water (divided)
Directions
Oranges should be peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch strips.
Cut peels in water and boil for fifteen minutes. Well-drain and rinse.
In a saucepan, combine 3 cups sugar and 3 cups water. When you bring the mixture to a boil, stir constantly until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a full boil before adding the orange peels. Reduce heat right away, then simmer peels for 45 minutes. Drain.
Add the remaining cup of sugar to the peels. Peels should be removed and put somewhere to properly dry (usually 1-2 days). Use an airtight container for storage.
As you can see, there are numerous methods to utilize orange peel scraps. Orange peels should always be composted if you don't feel like utilizing them right away or saving them for later use so they can help your soil and future plants.
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