Orange Peels

Like most things that catch my interest, today's little moment of learning came from a random observation. I was peeling an orange and noticed that the peel had a LOT of oil in it. It was spraying all over my hands. So I started wondering how one might go about "harvesting" this orange oil for use in soaps, or cleaning products, or whatever.

I love the internet. You can learn so many wonderful things on the internet. Today I learned that there is indeed an easy way to make orange oil from the peels. The best part is that it uses dried peels, so you can save them till you have enough. No need to have loads of fresh peels on hand. And once the oil has been harvested, the ground peels can go into the compost pile.

While I was researching, I found several lists of other ways to use orange peels around the house. I really like the idea of using up everything, somehow. Of creating very little to no trash.  Here's the list of orange peel ideas I liked best:

Due to the high content of flammable oil in orange peel, dried peel makes a great firestarter or kindling
 

It seems that cats don't like the smell of peel, so you can place them around plants where you don't want cats digging
 

Using a "zester", the top layer of an orange peel can be scraped to produce zest. This can then be used to strong flavor to foods, such as sauces, soups and salads. The zest can be dried overnight and then stored in airtight bottles for future use.
 

Dried orange peels can be placed in a cloth bag and placed in closets and cupboards to reduce musty odors
 

A puree blend of orange peel and water can be applied to an area to discourage ants from crossing.
 

Most insects hate limonene - the oil in the peel. Small piles of zest can be placed around an area to keep it free from flies and mosquitos. Some people claim rubbing orange peel on your skin willprevent mosquito bites.
 

To deodorize a garbage disposal unit, throw down a few peels while it's operating
 

While on the topic of garbage, placing orange peel at the bottom of your trash can, before putting the bag or bags in is said to reduce odor and also help discourage insect infestation.

Use the orange skin to scrub and deodorise your kitchen sink.
 

Candied orange peels are a tasty treat that seem very simple to make. Plenty of recipes can be found on the Internet.

Add them to your compost pile


The list above can be found here. And another good one (some overlap, but some different ideas, too) is here. Happy farming!