apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have a question--how long does zest keep? Can I freeze it? I like to use lemon zest and orange zest, and this post reminds me that I have thrown out plenty of zest-material! It's not something I will use daily, or even weekly, but if I had a way to store it, I would. I'm guessing I can freeze it but would love to hear some cooks' experience.

I have heard that sprinkling coffee grounds and citrus zest on your garden or mulch will keep the kitties from using it as their litterbox. (disclaimer: coffee and citrus both upset my stomach, so I haven't had a chance to try this myself...)

this is pure awesomeness. thank you!! i am going to try all of these!

I have an old style gas heater insert (I rent, and the fireplace started life as a *coal* heat source!) in my fireplace, and to keep the house from drying out horribly, I keep a bowl of water on top of it. I have recently started tossing my citrus peel and some cloves into the water and now my house smells like cookies!

I like putting them down the garbage disposal to deodorize! I've also added them to brine for turkey before.

There is a clementine peel staring up at me from the coffee table right now! Not sure which of these I will try; perhaps saving them for tea, which I've been drinking a lot of lately.

make zest, or put peels into a small muslin bag with cloves?

Similar to driftandfloat, I use old citrus to clean out the garbage disposal, but I freeze them first, and then chuck them in.

Works great!

Heee... I put it in my, erm, stash. Keeps it nice and moist, and imparts a lovely flavor!

*Waits for the cops to kick her door in...*

Dried orange peel is also used to flavour soups in Chinese cooking.

Us too melanie! shhhh...
just don't leave in too long or it can get moldy!

Melanie & pdx, y'all make me lol. I never thought of that but what a great idea!

I would like to add that citrus enhances the flavor of non-meat dishes too. :P

And definite lol at Melanie and pdx-R.

you are reading my mind! Thanks for the suggestions! I've been cringing as I toss all these clementine peels into the trash. Thanks

great post!

i like to simmer the peels in a pot on the stove with some water, a cinnamon stick and a few cloves. makes the house smell divine :)

Thanks for the suggestions, and I mean ALL the suggestions.

*snort*

This thread is making me laugh. And thanks for the ideas! I'm definitely going to try the candied peels.

This is a great idea, I have always saved peels for use later. If you are concerned about agri-chemicals, make sure you use organic citrus peels. Oranges especially, because they are dyed and sprayed with a preservative if they are conventional.

Cimcinnyc, you can absolutely freeze the peels and they'll be fine. In fact, the freezer helps keep them dry.

This blog has great ideas for recycling pits, peels, leftovers, etc. into super-inexpensive, delicious vinegars, condiments, soups, and hooch! Here's a post from November on citrus peels. (There's even a food chat with an astronaut who's up in space right now!)

http://www.sustainablesuppers.com/?p=5

Thank you!!
Emily

Use a potato peeler to remove the peel before eating or juicing. It's easier than scraping off the white pith from peels.

As you peel your lemons, limes, and citrus, save the peels! They are great de-greasers and smell great to clean with. Better alternative to some of the toxic cleaning products on the market. You can buy White House vinegar - made from grains, not petroleum - very cheap at grocery stores.
Add citrus rinds to a mason jar filled with white vinegar; let sit for three weeks; strain, store in a spray bottle. Use for surfaces in the kitchen and it brings a nice citrus scent, and non-toxic and safe for cutting surfaces.
*note: place a square of wax paper in between your jar & lid, so the vinegar will not corrode the tin!
-sally

You can also store the peel (no pith, please!) in honey. You kill two birds with one stone: flavored honey and candied citrus peels.