By Holly Royce
Our Previous post on 7 uses for a Banana peel was so popular that we wanted to share some more amazing uses for other parts of our food we may have previously considered waste.
Enjoy and please share your own tips in the comments below!
Orange peel as Kindling
The oil in orange peels is flammable. To see for yourself, try squeezing a fresh orange peel in front of a candle. Be careful, because a small burst of fire will be the result. Dried orange peels retain some of this oil, and they will burn longer than twigs, giving a new fire more time to spread. Smells nice too.
Orange or lemon peel in Flavored Olive Oil
Aging olive oil with orange peels adds extra zest to the oil. Great on salads, pasta, you name it.
Orange peel to deodorize Garbage Cans
The powerful aroma of orange peels can fight the nasty smells that accumulate in a garbage can over time. Try dropping the peels of a couple oranges in the bottom of the can before you put in the trash bag. This will also keep away bugs if you have them.
Orange peel as Slug Repellant
Spreading some orange peels around the surface of the soil in your garden is an effective method of getting rid of slugs.
Pickled Watermelon Rind
Pickled watermelon rinds is a well-known use for watermelon rind in America. Pickling it isn’t as strange as it may seem, since cucumbers (from which pickles are usually made) and watermelon are related. The process is similar to making pickles from cucumbers, and the result is just as delicious. Click here for an easy recipe.
Used tea leaves as face scrub and used tea bags for puffy eyes
Who doesn’t love their tea? Now there’s even more reason to drink it!
For Face Scrub – leave the tealeaves to stand over night, and then apply as a facial scrub the following morning.
To de-puff under eye bags – leave the bags in the fridge for 15 minutes, then use as a cold compress on a swollen eye. My sister and use this one all the time, amazing!
Make potato peels into potato chips
Mix potato peels with enough lemon juice and olive oil to evenly coat. Spread the potato peels in a layer on a baking sheet and cook at 200 degrees, stirring once, until golden brown (about 10 minutes). Season to taste.
Did you know?
Up to 30% of food we buy is wasted, at an estimated national cost of $5 billion-plus a year according to the Canberra-based Australia Institute. Much of it goes out of date before it can be consumed, which means all of the CO2 pollution embedded in producing it has been in vain.
We are daughters, mothers, sisters and grandmothers getting on with practical climate action to live better for us and the planet. Join the movement at www.1millionwomen.com.au
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