When you use a lemon, don't throw away the peel. Put it in a baggy and toss it in the freezer. Then you will have it handy if you encounter a recipe that needs lemon zest.
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Whenever I peel a fragrant fruit such as an apple, lemon, orange, etc. I save the peelings to simmer on the stovetop. There are times when I cannot use them that day.
Grate lemon peel, lime peel, and orange peel when you buy those fruits on sale or any time. Allow the peel to dry on waxed paper.
I am moving from a house to an apartment. All is chaos. I just discovered I confused the laundry basket with the trash - only once. I found that the dirty clothes smelled great thanks to the dried out orange peel.
Make citrus oil to keep aphids, white flies, fire ants, and mosquitoes away! Soak the rinds of 2 orange peels in 1 gallon of water (closed) for about 10 days.
If you have an open fire or a wood burning stove, throw orange and lemon peel in with the fuel and the room will be filled with a delicious smell.
Freeze the peel from oranges or lemon and later you can use it to flavor tea, coffee or cider.
Cauliflower will stay white if you add a small piece of lemon peel to the water while cooking
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What are all the uses you can think of for orange and lemon peels?
Cut them up. Then sprinkle on ground to keep cats and dogs from using it for litter box.
If you have a garbage disposal, orange, lemon or any other citrus fruit, can be used as an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to the costly deodorizers many companies try to get you to purchase! - Lynn from NC
The other day I had leftover peel from about 4 oranges, and I chopped
it into medium size pieces and simmered it for air freshener. When you are done, run it thru the garbage disposal to freshen it up. - Patti
I save my peels and let them dry out, usually on the counter for a few days. Add some cloves, cinnamons sticks and whatever else you like. I store them in pretty canning jars with a pretty lace top.
I have a zester which I use to regularly peel the zest off of all my citrus fruits. I leave the zest out over night and by the morning it is dry enough to place in the spice bottles I have for orange,lemon and lime peels. I use the zest in muffins, stir frys, cakes, stews, casseroles and pies. If you buy lemon zest in the store it is costly and likely to have preservatives you don't want or need.
Mrs Kathy Cohen
I use orange peel in with my stored brown sugar. It keeps the sugar moist and easy to use. - Bea in WI
I use my lemon peels to boil in my tea kettle - bring to a boil and let it sit for an hour (or longer) to dissolve the crud that often builds up on the bottom. If I have let it go for awhile I sometimes have to do a little scrubbing (with the peel) but then I know my kettle is clean and ready for some serious tea-drinking!
And for orange peels, I throw them in a pan and add a couple inches of water, along with cinnamon and cloves thrown in. Bring to a boil and then let simmer - the smell is heavenly! - Cindy
Cook lemon peels and tomatoes. Tomatoes will smell great!
Use orange peels to rub onto your skin as a natural mosquito repellant.
Is it true that if you freeze a lemon whole you can grate it over your foods and get the best nutrition, as well, as anti cancer protection? Claims are the skin holds anti cancer protection similar to chemotherapy.
By Judie
I do freeze a whole lemon and I do grate the skin onto somethings.
Citrus peels of any type are high in antioxidents which scientists believe help contribute to protection against cancer but there's no guarantee it will stop cancer. Other things citrus peels contain help aid in lowering cholesteral and help contribute protection against diabetes. You do not have to freeze them in order to be able to grate them and you can freeze the gratings simply by placing them in zip lock bags with as much air removed as possible.
The fruit of citrus fruits must be specially prepared to freeze for the best results. Here's a link that will explain how (scroll down to Table 2 for instructions):
www.ext.colostate.edu/
As far as lemon peels having anti-cancer properties, I don't know, but I was very excited to hear on t.v. a week or so ago about about turmeric or cumin having serious anti-cancer properties! From what I understand, it attacks the cancer cells on 5 different levels, from the beginning stage to the end stage and 3 stages in between. You can generally get turmeric from WalMart on the vitamin isle. It is also as effective as ibuprofen in relieving pain, but with no side effects! I hope this helps.
Do what you want with Citrus or orange peels, as long as they are from organic fruits. Non organic citrus, oranges and the rest of the family (and others fruits as well) are treated before harvest with Thiabendazole and Imazalil. No washing method of the fruits can get them rid of these chemicals. Using non organic citrus peels will not only not protect you from cancer buy will give you a good chance to end up with cancer, the one chemical which resist washing is the Imazalil and is cancerogen. In my country any recipe using citrus or orange peels always specify "organic citrus only". If you do not believe European scientists then listen to your own :
"Tests Find Hormone-Disrupting Fungicides on Most Citrus Fruit Samples
BY ALEXIS TEMKIN, PH.D., SYDNEY EVANS AND OLGA V.NAIDENKO, PH.D. MARCH 17, 2021
The two hormone-disrupting fungicides imazalil and thiabendazole, one of which is also a likely carcinogen, were detected on nearly 90 percent of non-organic citrus fruit samples in tests commissioned by the Environmental Working Group. More than half of the samples contained both fungicides.
Both chemicals disrupt the bodys hormones, or endocrine system, which regulates metabolism, growth and development, and other important functions. They can also harm the reproductive system, and California scientists classify one of them as a chemical known to cause cancer.
You can read the rest of this study here : www.ewg.org/
Can one blend a whole lemon, both juice and back together, to drink? Is the lemon oil edible (the oil from the peel)?
By Barth
I did it before, because in gypsy culture you use it as a laxative and it works. But if you drink the whole lemon you will be going for days.
A great way to change an unpleasant smell coming from your garbage disposal is by grinding some lemon, lime or orange peels through it. This is a page about citrus peels for garbage disposal odors.
The zest from lemons and oranges is used in a number of recipes, but it can also be used in homemade cleaning products. This is a page about uses for orange zest.
