13 Uses For Leftover Lemons (and Oranges)

Photo by teenytinyturkey

A few months pack I picked up a really inexpensive citrus juicer and we have been enjoying fresh squeezed lemon and orange juice regularly. I love the juice and the health benefits, but what I don’t like is waste, and that’s what I feel like I am doing when I toss out those empty lemon or orange hulls. There has to be something more I can do with them, right? Of course! Here are few things I found to do with those leftover lemons, and most of these can be done with oranges too.:

For Cleaning

1. Clean your microwave- Place the empty hulls in a bowl of water and microwave for about fives minutes. Then wipe the microwave clean with a towel.

2. Clean your cutting board and sink- Rub the empty hull across your cutting board to deodorize and disinfect. Do the same with the hull in your sink.

3. Clean your pans and tea kettle- you may want to do this before making tea. Boil the rinds in your kettle or a pan that has burnt on stuff stuck to it. Let is sit for up to an hour to really soak in, and watch all the grime come right off!

For Eating

4. Make a lemon or orange infused tea- boil lemon or orange rinds and then throw in a tea bag. Let the bag steep as long as you like and enjoy!

5. Make candied peels- This looks like some extra work, but yummy too! Here is a recipe to try: Candied Lemon Peels

6. Dry for later use- Get all the white pith removed and cut into strips. Place the strips skin side down an a plate and leave out for 3-4 days until no long moist. Store ina dark place in a clean glass jar. You can crumble them and use in place of extract in baking, use for toppings and for flavoring sauces

7. Keep Brown Sugar soft- Use a piece of orange peel inside your brown sugar container to keep it moist and soft

8. Make Lemon Pepper: Combine 3 TBSP of powdered lemon peel with ¼ salt and coarsely ground peper, 2 TBSP garlic powder and 1TBSP of sugar. Mix and use in meat, potatoes, tomatoes or in pasta salads. Store in a glass container.

For Freshening

9. Make Potpourri: this is especially good with orange peels. Throw in some allspice, cloves or cinnamon sticks and let boil on your stove top to make your house smell great. Or if you have a mini crock pot or electric potpourri burner, you can do this as well.

10. Freshen your garbage disposal: If you have a garbage disposal, dump the peels in there and grind to freshen it up. After of course you have cleaned your cutting board and sink with it!

11. Use In Homemade Cleaners- I make several home made cleaners that have vinegar in them. A few lemon or orange peels tossed in makes it smell good and makes the cleaner more effective.

For Pests

12. Keep pests out of your garden- Toss lemon peels in your garden to keep cats and other critters away, such as ants. Orange peels keep fire ants out. And when the peels break down, they add nutrients to your garden as well!

13. No More Moths: Wrap dried lemon peel in cheesecloth and hang in the closet or sprinkle some dried lemon peels in your drawers. No more nasty moth balls!

Can you think of any other ways to use leftover lemon and orange peels? I am sure there are many things that I haven’t discovered yet, so please share!

This post is participating in:

Tasty Tuesday, Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tightwad Tuesday, & Thursday Thirteen

Tagged as: orange peels, uses for lemon peels