Getting all that Sunshine out of Citrus Scraps
Like many of you zero waste lovers, I am getting more creative with kitchen projects to use up every last part of my food. This is an even more important task now that public composting in NYC has been put on hold until July of 2021. One of my favorite zero waste kitchen projects thus far is figuring out what to do with my citrus scraps. I found some recipes for turning orange rinds into household cleaner or using them as pot scrubbers. These are fantastic ideas, but not quite what I imagined. I wanted to do something that retained the sunshine-y juiciness of citrus...and I found just the recipes for me!
Citrus Syrup - Sunshine in a Jar
One of the most popular ways to use citrus scraps is by making syrup. It is an easy process that requires sugar, citrus scraps, a glass jar (or another non-reactive and sealable container) and time. I collect my citrus scraps in glass mason jars in the fridge until I have enough to process. The scraps can include the rind, pith and any uneaten pieces of fruit. You can mix your citrus together or keep them separate to make specific flavors such as orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit. I’ve even mixed in a pineapple core once which created an incredibly sweet and rich citrus syrup.
Step 1: Remove citrus scraps from the collection jar and weigh them.
Once I collect about 16 ounces of scraps the fun begins.
Weighing the citrus scraps
Step 2: Measure out some white sugar that weighs half the amount of the citrus scraps.
Example - if you have 8 ounces of citrus scraps, measure 4 ounces of sugar.
Weighing the sugar
Step 3: Put the citrus scraps and sugar in your glass jar and close it tightly. You can put all the sugar on the bottom, top or layer it with the citrus. I typically put all the sugar on top of the citrus.
Citrus scraps and sugar mixed together and sealed in a glass jar
Please Note: I do not recommend using more than 12 ounces of citrus scraps at once and do not pack them tightly into your glass jar. I have noticed that the more citrus rinds I try to process at once, the smaller the ratio is for the amount of syrup I get out of it. This has something to do with the amount of surface area of the citrus able to be covered by the sugar and ability of the sugar and syrup to easily move around the jar. If you have a lot of citrus scraps, I recommend processing them in smaller batches rather than one giant one.
Step 4: Shake the jar really well and let it rest. Return to the jar every hour for a good shake. When you let it rest again, flip the jar 180 degrees and leave it resting on its opposite side. Do this for 8-12 hours.
This is the mixture after resting for about 6 hours. You can see syrup starting to form but there’s still sugar crystals.
Step 5: After your syrup is done resting, strain it into a container. You’ll know the syrup is ready when you can’t see any more sugar crystals. If you’re busy when the syrup is done, no harm in letting it sit for a few more hours. I’ve found letting the citrus/sugar mix sit for longer than 12 hours doesn’t create more syrup but isn’t a problem if you don’t have enough time to strain right away. Typically the ratio of citrus scraps to syrup produced is 2:1 by weight. Your syrup should last in the fridge for about 3 months.
All the sugar has combined with the citrus oils and the syrup is ready to be strained. This particular batch has been sitting for 25 hours total,.
Straining the syrup
Your new golden citrus syrup is complete!
Some tasty ways I’ve found to use the syrup so far include cocktails, as a topping just like you'd use honey and mixing with water to replace buying flavored drinks. They also work great as gifts!
Tom Collins Cocktail
2 oz Gin
½ oz Lemon syrup
Ice
Seltzer
Lemon wedge
Combine gin, lemon syrup and ice in a cocktail shaker. Cover and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled glass. Top with seltzer and garnish with a lemon wedge.
Old Fashioned Cocktail
¼ oz Orange syrup
2 dashes angostura bitters
2 oz bourbon
1 Large ice cube
Put syrup, bitters and bourbon in a low ball glass. Add ice. Stir. Add a twist of orange (or lemon) and flame if desired.
Lemonade
Lemon syrup
Cold water
For 1 serving, combine 1/4 to 1/3 cup syrup and 3/4 cup cold water in a glass; stir well. For 16 servings, combine 5-1/2 cups syrup and 10 cups cold water in a 2-qt. pitcher; stir well. Play around with the water to syrup ratio to get the right flavor for you.
*Do a 50/50 mix with a light beer to make a refreshing shandy just in time to quench your summer thirst.
Dried Citrus Peels - Ready Made Flavor Boosters
My second use for the scraps is drying them in an oven. This process is even easier than making the syrup. All it requires is citrus rinds, an oven and time.
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 175 degrees.
Step 2: Slice citrus rinds into strips about ⅛” thick.
Step 3: Place citrus rind strips on baking pan and put pan in the oven. Let them roast low and slow for about 4 hours, check every hour or so. Timing will vary depending on your oven conditions.
Step 4: Remove the rinds when they are fully dry. They should still have their bright color but make a distinct snap when you try to bend them and should not be squishy at the pith. If you over bake the rinds and they look darker, you can still use them but the flavor won’t be as strong. Once cool, place in an airtight container and store in a dry place.
This is what your citrus rinds should look like when they’re fully dried out. This mix has bright orange rinds and slightly darker brown orange rinds. The darker rinds were over baked but still fragrant and good to use.
The dried rinds can be added to teas or crushed up into a fine powder for marinades, sauces and frosting.
Orange Vanilla Frosting
Vanilla frosting
Dried orange rinds
Using a food processor, blitz the dried orange rinds into a fine powder. If you don’t have a food processor, an immersion blender or mortar and pestle work fine. Mix the orange powder into your frosting (amounts of each to your taste). I recommend using the orange vanilla frosting as stuffing for french toast or topping for an almond cake.
Have fun with your new kitchen experiments and please share what you come up with for using the syrup and dried rinds with @sustainthemag on Instagram!
All photography by Racheal Notto
