frugal tips about orange peels

I am getting to really like reddit.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/egw4n/small_tip_use_your_orange_peels/

That reminds me about how much I like candied orange peel thingies.

Sounds good!

I've found that baking chicken on a bed of mixed lemons, carrots, and potatoes allows the various flavors to blend together well. Baked in enough chicken drippings, the lemon wedges are flavorful, and by the time the chicken and potatoes are done, they're tender and mild enough to eat with the root vegetables.

It's good to put some herbed salt on the chicken as it's going into the oven.

Edit: more accurate with carrots

Got a zester? I don't go in for single-purpose tools, but these are great.
My favourite pasta is variations on the theme of garlic, lemon zest, soft herbs and good olive oil.  Anchovies, olives, chilli, brocolli and tomatoes go well, but the challange, and the trick, is to keep it minimal.
Steep citrus (not grapefruit and no pith) zest in olive oil.
Zest citrus into a salad, then use the juice for the dressing.

A microplane zester can be pricy, but they're good for grating too: hard cheeses, chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.

If you lack a zester but have a sharp knife, you can cut the zest off of the citrus fruit as though you're peeling an apple (and being unreasonably frugal about it), then stack the zest peelings up and mince them.

Zest is great in whipped cream, and quite a few other places that you might not expect it.

Joel, I was thinking of the zester that's basically a handle with several metal 'loops' at the end.
My microplane grates zest too fine for my taste,  but it's perfect for (unpeeled) garlic and ginger.

most citrus in my kitchen gets used in dishwater. im pretty picky about soaps- I only use Castille- Boiling citrus in my dishwater ( I dont have a water heater, hot water comes from the stove for washing) reduces the amount of soup I need and adds a nice smell to the whole thing- I've used  2qts of castille this year, and that covered the interns 4-5 months here as well. the oils they release this way are great for washing, and the boiled peels seem to compost much more readily.

I am interested in your dishwashing method. Can you give more details on what, how much, and where do you use? I mean, don't orange peels go flying around the dishwasher? It does sound like a nice method, though. How much do you pay for a year's worth of castille soap?

Dishwasher? you mean dane, my farm apprentice? 

I drop, depending on size (grapefuit vs lime) 1-3 peels in a 1/2 g kettle and boil. That gets poured through a strain into my dish tub, and I use the peels for a day or two before changing- basically when they fall apart  on picking them up- Ill boil them thru perhaps 4-5 kettles full.

I use just a few drops- 3-5 of castile per wash, which is about 2-3 g of water for Dane and I for a day, less when Im alone, unless im making bread.

that comes out to about $22-25 for the soap annually. Ill be mving away from it eventually- Ive leaerned a few ways to make even more benign cleanings, but they require plantings and study on my part to understand how to create microclimates, etc. ,

we started using equis etum to make scrubbies, but our variety here- the kind with 'hair' and white rings- is more fragile than the black banded kind. using a poly sock filled with it is working out well. so no need to bug sponges even

IMO the real key to clean stuff is not chemicals. its hot (160f+) water. soak for debris removal in warm water, wipe clean, and good hot (160f+) rinse.  the citrus and castilel in the first tub add that extra 2%.

cheers

I love to add a little citrus zest to a batch of scones.  The zest will impart just enough flavor to taste but not to overwhelm.  They are a great bit of morning comfort food.

I'm not a big fruit eater.But  Dried orange peels can be placed in a cloth bag and placed in closets and cupboards to reduce musty odors.