Orange peels can be used for :
flavouring your spirits- Take some fresh organic orange peel and leave to soak and infuse its flavour for at least 2 weeks in a bottle of gin or vodka. Use around one orange peel for each 8 fl oz of spirit.exfoliating your skin- Place your orange peels in a dehydrator or in a very low heat oven for around 6-8 hours or place on a window sill for a couple of days. Once the orange peels are reasonably dry, place them in a food processor and grind into a coarse powder, add roughly ground seasalt and you have the best exfoliator there is!
a spa bath.- Dry the orange peels as above or in the strong sun, then grind to a coarse powder. Use this powder to infuse your bath water with antioxidants and the finest scent imaginable!
kindling- The oil in orange peels is flammable, so orange peels make the perfect scented kindling and really give a fantastic boost to your fire.
repelling cats- Cats actively dislike anything that smells of citrus, so if you wish to keep cats away from your houseplants, rub fresh orange peels over the leaves and stems of the plants and then discard the peels in the surrounding earth for a while. Outside plants you wish to protect should be surrounded with orange peels too, this will help keep the neighbourhood cat away!
candy- Sugar glazed orange peels are delicious, dip them in dark chocolate to offer the ultimate treat to your loved ones.
salad oil- Add a great zest to your favourite oil by immersing dried orange peels and allowing them to infuse their flavour. Great for pasta and for salad dressing.
preserving brown sugar- There is nothing worse than brown sugar that’s become lumpy. Add a few dried orange peels to yyour airtight container to draw moisture away from the sugar , thus retaining its granular consistency.
cleaning grease off pans- Fresh orange peels are a great de-greaser and can be rubbed like a sponge into stubborn grease to break the fat up and make it easier to wash in soap afterwards.
lower your blood pressure- It’s not surprising that with the amazing antioxidant properties of orange peel the Chineses have been using it medicinally for years to lower blood pressure. Add the zest to your favourite mineral water to give you an extra health boost.
preventing bugs and odours in your rubbish/garbage bin - Place a couple of orange peels in the base of your bin before placing the bag inside to eliminate nasties of all sorts!
preventing slugs from lunching on your salad- Place orange peels around the base of the plants you wish to protect.
prevent mosquito bites- orange peels contain the compound limonene which most insects detest, rub orange peel on your skin in the evenings to prevent being bitten.
make orange oil- see recipe below and what you can create once you’ve made it!
Homemade Orange Oil Recipe
