Preserving Citrus Waste: Flavored Sugar and Salt

One of winter's greatest gifts is bright citrus - a welcome contrast to the darker, colder days that come with the season. The smell of an orange and tangy sweetness of grapefruit brighten the dreariest of days and brings anticipation of warmer days ahead. The downside to all of this deliciousness, though, is the amount of waste that comes from consuming citrus. Limes, lemons, oranges and grapefruits of all kinds leave behind their rinds, typically about 15% of the fruit's volume, full of flavor but too bitter to be eaten alone. This winter, I've made a point of trying to save my peels and rinds left over from juicing or eating them out of hand. I ended up with several pounds over a couple of weeks, all of which would have been wasted.

An easy dehydration in a low oven preserves these otherwise wasted rinds, allowing them to keep for months in your pantry. Dried citrus peels aren't a common pantry staple, but they are wonderful to have on hand for adding to tea, soup broths, infusing simple syrups and liquors or boiling in water on the stove, filling your house with their bright sent. My favorite use of all is grinding them to flavor salts and sugars for using in baked goods, sprinkling over eggs and toast or rimming a cocktail glass for some added flair. 

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SAVING YOUR RINDS

I keep a large ziplock bag in the refrigerator to throw the rinds into after juicing a lime or peeling an orange. I also keep a smaller one for extra citrus wedges or slices. After a week or so of collection, I dehydrate the contents and store in my pantry. Please do note that if you are using store-bought citrus, it may have been coated with wax. I would suggest using a vegetable wash prior to cutting into or peeling your citrus to remove that wax. If you are using organic or un-coated citrus, just give it a good rinse with water. 

Dehydrating Rinds & Slices

If you have a dehydrator, I'm jealous and your perfectly set-up for preserving your rinds, but you certainly don't need one. An oven works really well. If stored properly in air tight containers, your dried citrus will keep for months in your pantry. If you are using citrus slices or wedges, be sure they are all close to the same thickness. I usually cute mine down to 1/8" or 1/4" thick. 

To dehydrate with an oven: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out citrus peels and/or slices into a single layer. Place in a 170F oven (or 150 if your oven will go that low) for 5-8 hours. The peels and slices are dehydrated enough with they snap like a wafer or can be crushed in your fist.  

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FLAVORed Sugar and Salt

Citrus + SPice Salt

• 1/2 cup salt (kosher, Himalayan, sea salt, etc)
• 1/4 cup dried citrus peels
• 1 tsp spices or herbs (optional)

Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. Pour the salt into the middle of the paper. Place the empty sieve on top of the salt and set aside. 

In a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder (with blades, not burs), add the citrus peels and grind until fine and powdery (some larger pieces may remain). Shake out the ground citrus into the sieve. Finely grind any spices or herbs, if needed, and add to the citrus.

Gently begin shaking the sieve over the salt until all small contents have worked their way through the mesh and only the larger pieces are left behind.  You can regrind the larger pieces and sieve again or save them for adding to a baked goods or tea. 

Carefully lift the paper and pour the salt into an airtight container (I use 8oz mason jars), seal tightly and shake to evenly distribute citrus and spices. Store in your pantry for several month. 

Pictured Below: Meyer Lemon Kosher Salt

Citrus + SPice Sugar

• 1 cup sugar (granulated or fine castor)
• 1/2 cup dried citrus peels
• 2 tsp spices or herbs (optional)

Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. Place a fine mesh sieve on the lined sheet and add the sugar. Set aside.

In a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder (with blades, not burs), add the citrus peels and grind until fine and powdery (some larger pieces may remain). Shake out the ground citrus on top of the sugar in the sieve. Finely grind any spices or herbs, if needed, and add to the citrus and sugar.

Gently begin shaking the sieve over the paper until all small contents have worked their way through the mesh and only the larger pieces are left behind.  You can regrind the larger pieces and sieve again or save them for adding to a baked goods or tea. 

Carefully lift the paper and pour the sugar into an airtight container (I use pint sized mason jars), seal tightly and shake to evenly distribute citrus and spices. Store in your pantry for several month. 

Pictured Below: Blood Orange and Cardamom Sugar, below.

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Flavor Combination Suggestions

SALT

• Meyer Lemon
• Lime & Chipotle
• Curry Powder & Ginger
• Orange & Chili Flakes
• Lime & Berbere
• Black Pepper & Lemon

Sugar

• Blood Orange & Cardamom
• Navel Orange
• Ginger
• Grapefruit & Fennel
• Lime & Ginger
• Meyer Lemon and Lavender

10 Minute Recipes: Summer Fridge Pickles

A special shout out and Happy Father's Day to my dad - the guy who taught me everything there is to love about pickles and photography. Here's to combing both in dedication to you :). 

The seasons are definitely starting to change here in San Diego - we're exiting the days of May Grays and June Glooms and hitting our desert heat waves. This weekend brought one with vengeance. I know, for those of you who live in places where it's 98 F and 100% humidity, I shouldn't complain. But, 95 F in a city that doesn't believe in A/C is no fun. Especially if you need or want to get in your kitchen and cook. 

Summer is one of those seasons that seems to bring foods that need (or rather, deserve) pickles, but with soaring temps, the last thing you want to do is heat up your kitchen with boiling vinegar and a canning water bath. Well, here's your perfect solution - a pickle that you can prep in 10 minutes, set in the fridge, and do nothing else but enjoy it the following day. No heat, no turning your kitchen into a steamy sauna, and no need to make 10 jars at a time. This recipe yields one perfect pint jar of summery pickles. And, if you use watermelon radishes, they may even have a delightful pink hue by the end. 

An added bonus to not using heat - the full nutritional value of the vegetables and apple cider vinegar is maintained. I would recommend using a good quality vinegar (Bragg's is my personal favorite). The acidity of these pickles is somewhat mild. If you prefer a more pungent pickle, add additional vinegar and 1 tsp sugar and 1/8 tsp salt per ounce of added vinegar. 

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SUMMER FRIDGE PICKLES

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp of each: fennel seeds, celery seeds, minced ginger
• 1/4 tsp of each: peppercorns, mustard seeds, dill seeds (or 1 dill flower)
• 2 cups sliced cucumber, radish, and/or summer squash
• Several chives or chive blossoms
• Chili pepper, optional
• Filtered water

In a glass pint jar or container of similar size, add vinegar, sugar, salt and spices. Secure the lid and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Remove the lid and add the sliced vegetables, chives, and chili pepper, if desired. 

Fill the jar with filtered water up to 1/2" below the brim. Secure the lid again, gently shake a few times, and place in the fridge overnight (or for at least 4 hours). These pickles will keep in the fridge for up to two months. 

Yield: 1 pint jar

Elderflower Soaked Strawberries

Elderflower soaked Strawberries (whole and Jam)

• 5 cups strawberries - keep small ones whole; halve or quarter larger ones
• 1/2 cup Elderflower cordial
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbs sugar
• If making jam: 1 tbs low sugar pectin (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a medium pot over medium heat. Cook until juices form and the berries begin to float (this should take about 7 minutes). If you want to keep them whole, stop here, and store in glass jars in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.  

to make Jam:

Once the strawberries are removed from the heat, carefully pour them into a blender. On low speed, pulse 4 times, or until you've reached your desired consistency. Return the mixture to your pot over medium heat. Whisk in the pectin and cook for another 5 minutes. Store in glass jars in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, or can for use later in the year. 

*I saved one half-pint jar of whole strawberries, covered in their juice, and continued to make jam with the rest. Makes two more half-pint jars worth. 

Serving suggestions: On top of any cakes or sweet biscuits, spread on scones, or enjoyed on ice cream. Maybe even this Basil-Chip Ice Cream Pie! Pictured below :).

Note: I found this Elderflower Cordial at World Market. You can also order it on Amazon, or substitute it for any elderflower liquor, easily found at most liquor stores. 

Natural Peach Preserves: Vanilla + Cinnamon & Almond + Ginger

Peaches are probably my favorite thing about summer. Humidity, no thanks. The AC-free state of life in southern California, double no thanks. But peaches...they make both of those things okay. Personally, I think the best peaches are grown in southern soil. Maybe it's that everything in the south seems to be made of sugar, so they're just genetically sweeter :). Or maybe I'm just biased. I don't know, but I will say this; while California peaches may not be my favorite fresh eating peaches, they are wonderful for cooking.

One of the best kept secrets of my neighborhood farmers market (farmers'? farmer's? hm....) is the organic stone fruit farm that puts everything on sale 30 minutes prior to closing. All of their delicious goodies are half price! Such a deal. BUT WAIT. After close, you can pay $10 for a plastic grocery sack and fill it with as many fruits as it can hold. This is where the gold is, and where I stock up for canning. Summer flavors all year long? Yes, please.

Natural Peach Preserves

This recipe is for a basic, naturally flavored peach preserve. It serves as a great canvas for additional flavoring post-cooking, though delicious as-is if you're wanting to keep the pureness of the peaches.  For the following post, I split the cooked batch in half and flavor each one with different spices.

• 8 cups peaches, skinned and cut into small pieces
• 2 cups raw cane sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon

In a medium sized pot on medium-high heat, combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly. A nice juice will start to develop as the sugar draws out the natural nectar of the peaches. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally and lightly mashing the peaches as they cook. Simmer for 10 minutes. Emulsify the mixture with a stick blender. Be careful to keep the blade fully submerged so you don't splash yourself with the hot peaches. I like to keep some of the natural fruit texture in my preserves, so I leave a few chunks, but this is entirely up to your liking - blend more or blend less, chefs' choice! Once emulsified, cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and flavor or cool for storage. 

I can my preserves so I have them on hand and keep those sweet summer tastes available throughout the year. If canning isn't your preference, the preserves can last up to two weeks in the fridge or several months in the freezer.

Almond + Ginger  

• 4 cups natural peach preserves
• 1 tsp almond flavoring
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Vanilla + Cinnamon

• 4 cups natural peach preserves
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 vanilla bean

Combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly. For long-term storage, can via water bath method (step-by-step instructions found here) or freeze. For immediate use, store in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks. 

PS - Thanks to the lovely Liz DeZeeuw for being an awesome sous chef and taste tester!