15 Ways to Get the Most Out of Citrus
DIY Wednesdays - Food Scrap Series
In the United States, the US Department of Agriculture reports that nearly 30-40% of the food supply is wasted. In 2010, that included 133 billion pounds of food going to the landfill. While agricultural mishaps, restaurant waste and mismanagement, and tens of other variables contribute to that waste, a Penn State study concluded that American households waste 1/3 of their food annually, with higher-income families wasting more food than lower-income families (at least partially due to the lack of accessibility to fresh produce for lower-income Americans).
Not only is the corporate side of food waste sad because it means that food is wasted instead of donated to one of the many food-insecure people across the nation, but the environmental impact of food waste is significant. Food that’s wasted must be transported, contained, and either used to fill another landfill or incinerated - all of which takes significant amounts of energy.
What most people also don’t realize is that though technically organic waste will decompose, landfill environments make it extremely difficult to break down food waste. The compressed garbage in landfills means that organic material is deprived of the oxygen it needs to properly decompose and that waste will instead produce large quantities of methane, a gas which contributes to global warming. A banana peel I threw out as a kindergartener is probably still intact somewhere.
So though there are many areas of environmental impact that are harder to argue as the fault of the consumer, food waste IS something that individual people have a huge impact on. American culture has become increasingly disinterested in preventing wastefulness, particularly in the fast-paced culture of late-stage capitalism, but now more than ever we need to consider food as the precious resource it is.
So to help you figure out some easy ways to combat the food waste problem, I am starting a DIY Wednesdays series about how to reduce waste in your kitchen. Composting is an incredible tool, but as someone who lives in an apartment with three animals who like getting into trash, I can say it’s not always the easiest to maintain. There are a lot of great resources for learning how to compost and you may have a community compost in your area if you don’t have a large enough garden to keep up with food scraps.
But to start, here are a few ways you can repurpose and fully use up your limes, lemons, oranges, and other citrus fruits.
Even if you don’t need the zest now, I like to zest my citrus peels and freeze the zest until I need it later. I usually use it for baking, but citrus zest can also be a delicious smelling touch to add to lip scrubs, body scrubs, or infused bath salts! If you zest your fruit as you go, you’ll always have some on hand.
Do you have some tired-looking oranges that aren’t totally appealing to eat? Thinly slice them and add herbs and spices such as sage, thyme, rosemary, or a more classic fall cloves and cinnamon, and make stovetop potpourri!
Less-than-edible citrus fruits can also be oven dried for decorations! Make a lemon garland for summer or an orange one for fall. These are also great to decorate Christmas trees or holiday gifts with! Click here for an easy tutorial.
To make an easy to use all-purpose cleaner, fill a jar with any citrus peels you like (I often keep a jar in the freezer so I can add to it over time). Cover peels (and additional herbs, if you’d like the scent) with white vinegar and let infuse for at least two weeks at room temperature and away from direct sunlight. Compost your citrus peels and strain infused vinegar. Mix half infused vinegar with half water and an optional squirt of castile soap to make a powerful cleaner for kitchen counters, bathroom surfaces, cleaning refrigerator drawers and more! I wouldn’t recommend using on wood or unsealed surfaces.
Use dried lemon peel to make your own lemon pepper seasoning. Trust me, it’s better than store bought.
Candy citrus peels for a sweet treat. Orange ones dipped in a little dark chocolate are especially good, though whole candied lemon slices are a tasty and beautiful addition to baked goods.
Turn orange or grapefruit peels into a delicious marmalade.
Use a lemon half with coarse salt to help remove hardwater stains on things like shower doors or sinks. I love using this method to clean my kitchen sink and then putting small pieces of lemon peel down the disposal to freshen it.
Make your own citrus extracts with zest and 80-100 proof vodka. Learn more about homemade extracts here.
Dry citrus peels to use for making your own tea blends.
I haven’t tried this myself, but some say that adding a few pieces of dried citrus peel to your kindling will make for a more fragrant fire.
Use citrus peels to make infused alcohols.
Once you’ve juiced your lemons, add them to a bowl of half water and half white vinegar and microwave for five minutes. Let sit for another five minutes and then wipe your microwave clean. Not only will this make easy to wipe away caked on messes, it will also help deodorize your microwave.
Placing citrus pieces in house plants can help discourage cats from getting into them - this seems to have saved my peace lily from the clutches of two kittens!
Clean cutting boards by scrubbing them with a lemon and coarse salt or baking soda. You may need to consider special care if you have a high-quality wood cutting board, but personally I have found this works for the majority of cutting boards.
And remember, even if you can’t totally consume every piece of citrus peel you come across, know that reusing a piece for another purpose is still helping keep your waste down.
Happy zesting!
Grace Kennedy
For clarity, none of the brands or websites linked in this blog were sponsored.