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10 + Ways To Use Leftover Lemon Peels
The lemon peel, let’s be honest here, the average person doesn’t really use it. We hold onto it to squeeze the juice into our drink or bite down into the meat of the fruit and then the leavings are put to the side to be tossed into the waste bin with all the other leftovers we can’t save and that’s where the typical use of it ends. Which is a shame really because that bit of rind actually has a lot of uses outside of a hand hold to keep our fingers from getting sticky, which is what this article is all about.
What follows is a list of the many, many uses for the oft forgotten lemon peel, ranging from the culinary and cleaning uses to even how that tough bit of fruit can be uses for beauty and health.
The Culinary
Most know the nutritional benefits to eating fruit, you get a nice dose of vitamins, minerals, and fiber (which includes that all important dose of vitamin C). But most don’t know that the peel of the fruit contains the same spectrum of goodness, though admittedly in a smaller dose, but every little bit helps. But no one wants to eat just a lemon peel so use it to spice things up a bit.
1. Take that lemon peel, slice it up, skin off the white pith from the inside then dice for a nice bit of lemon zest you can add to give a bit of added flavor or you can take the whole peel, once again with the pith removed and candy them in boiling syrup.
2. What to add a bit more kick to your lemonade? Zest a couple peels into some sugar and seal it up for some lemon infused sugar to add in or give it a slow infusion by freezing a bit of lemon peel inside an ice cube to help keep it from losing flavor as the ice melts.
3. Finally, if your brown sugar is getting hard and clumpy and you have no apple slice around, guess what, a good lemon peel, with a bit of the pulp and pith removed, with help moisten that block right up.
Cleaning
1. Citric acid is handy stuff when it comes to cleaning up a mess and if you have pets or are just looking for a natural cleaning solution to help make your home sparkle, then make yourself some lemon vinegar. Begin with placing a bunch of lemon peels into a glass jar, any size will work, and pour white vinegar over it. Screw the lid on and let it sit for 2 weeks, then open, drain the vinegar and mix at a 50/50 ratio with water and use for a lemon scented all-purpose cleaner.
2. Did you forget about that take-out food in the back of your fridge and now it’s rather unpleasant to smell when you open the door? Simply place a few lemon peels inside and let them absorb the smell while they release their own lemon scent into the air and guess what? This same process works for any trash bin in your home as well, a couple lemon peels at the bottom of the bag helps keep that garbage from stinking up your home before you take the trash out. What’s more, send a couple peels through your dishwasher to deodorize it as well.
The lemon peel, let’s be honest here, the average person doesn’t really use it. We hold onto it to squeeze the juice into our drink or bite down into the meat of the fruit and then the leavings are put to the side to be tossed into the waste bin with all the other leftovers we can’t save and that’s where the typical use of it ends. Which is a shame really because that bit of rind actually has a lot of uses outside of a hand hold to keep our fingers from getting sticky, which is what this article is all about.
What follows is a list of the many, many uses for the oft forgotten lemon peel, ranging from the culinary and cleaning uses to even how that tough bit of fruit can be uses for beauty and health.
Cleaning
3. Are your tea kettles and coffee pots looking a bit crusty from mineral deposits or does that microwave need a good cleaning? Bring some water with lemon peels in it to a boil in each, let sit till cool and wipe away the mess.
4. Finally, let’s clean those stainless steel, chrome, and copper surfaces. Take some sea salt and sprinkle it onto the metal, then use a simple lemon peel to scrub at a remove any of those stains and buildups.
Beauty and Health
Perhaps the least expected of all the uses for lemon peels, they have some interesting
uses to help you look and feel your best.
1. The easiest of the list perhaps you can use a simple lemon wedge to whiten your nails.
2. You can soften those dry elbows by placing some baking soda on your dry joints and grinding a half a lemon onto it as if you are juicing the fruit.
3. You can make yourself a nice sugar and lemon scrub by mixing finely chopped lemon peel in with a half cup of sugar, mixed with enough olive oil to make a nice paste. One you are wet from the shower turn it off and massage the mixture into your skin before rinsing it off for nice smooth skin.
4. Sometimes you just want to soak your feet so treat yourself by boiling some lemon peels for a few minutes and strain the water to be added with a fourth of a cup of milk, cow or almond, two tablespoons of cold pressed olive oil and a couple drops of lemon essential oil. Them sit back and soak for 20 minutes before you pat them dry.
