Orange You Going to Eat That?

By Daisy Luther

I get a lot of my stuff from the “last day of sale” bin at the grocery store. This weekend I picked up a 5 pound box of mandarin oranges for $2 – SCORE!!!!

The last time I hit the motherlode of mandarins, I canned them in a light syrup (very yummy!)  This time, I was rather short on small jars so I am dehydrating them instead.

The cool thing about oranges (and citrus fruit in general) is how darned useful it is.  Not only can I use the fruit itself in a number of different ways, I can use the peel to make a wonderful fresh natural cleaner.

So, first things first, get your stuff together.

• Place a few slices into the water pitcher in the fridge for a splash of citrus flavor
• Put a slice into a cup of hot tea (really yummy with cinnamon warming tea)
• Stuff under the skin of poultry for a citrus chicken
• Grind to a powder in the food processor for an addition to the spice cabinet
• Toss a handful into the crockpot to make orange chicken
• Boil some slices with a cinnamon stick for a natural air freshener
• Put a couple of segments into your cocoa for a decadent chocolate orange beverage
• Add smaller pieces to any baked good that needs a hit of citrus – they will reconstitute slightly during the baking process

Lots of people like to eat the dried oranges as a snack.  During a long northern winter, if the food supply were ever interrupted because of bad weather or transportation issues, these little bites would be a fantastic source of fiber and vitamin C.