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. 

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.  

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.

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