22 Uses for Lemon Peels

Don’t toss out those Lemon Peels, put them to work.  Lemons juice is about 5 to 6 percent citric acid and has a pH level of between 2 and 3. This low pH acidity makes lemon juice a great ally in breaking down rust and mineral stains, but gentle enough to not dull finishes. There is generally sufficient juice left in used lemon halves to tackle small tasks, and it all comes with its own applicator (the rind itself).Plus, the oil in the peel is perfect for clever culinary applications, and not bad in the beauty department either. Here’s what you can do:

1. Clean greasy messes

Greasy pans? Splattered stove tops? Messy counters? If your kitchen has been the victim of some sloppy sauteing, try using lemon halves before bringing out possibly toxic chemical cleaners. Sprinkle some salt (for abrasion) on a juiced lemon half and rub on the greasy areas, wipe up with a towel. (Be careful using lemon on marble counter tops, or any other surface sensitive to acid).


2. Clean your tea kettle or coffee pot

For mineral deposit build up in your tea kettle, fill the kettle with water, add a handful of thin slices of lemon peel and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let sit for an hour, drain, and rinse well. For coffee pots, add ice, salt and lemon rinds to the empty pot; swish and swirl for a minute or two, dump, and rinse. Hello, sparkly.

3. Clean your microwave

All it takes is one exploding bowl of food to render the interior of your microwave officially gunked, sometimes gunked with cement-like properties. Rather than using strong chemical cleaners, try this: Add lemon rinds to a microwave-safe bowl filled halfway with water. Cook on high for 5 minutes, allowing the water to boil and the steam to condense on the walls and tops of the oven. Carefully remove the hot bowl and wipe away the mess with a towel.

4. Deodorize the garbage disposal

Use lemon peels to deodorize the garbage disposal (and make your kitchen smell awesome at the same time). It is a great way to finally dispose of spent lemon peels after you have used them for any of these applications.

5. Polish chrome

Mineral deposits on chrome faucets and other tarnished chrome make haste in the presence of lemon–rub with a squeezed lemon half, rinse, and lightly buff with a soft cloth.

6. Polish copper

A halved lemon dipped in salt or baking powder can also be used to brighten copper cookware, as well as brass, chrome, or stainless steel. Dip a juiced lemon half in salt (you also use baking soda or cream of tartar for the salt) and rub on the affected area. Let it stay on for 5 minutes. Then rinse in warm water and polish dry.

7. Clean a stainless sink

Use the same method described to polish chrome, applied to any stainless sink.

8. Keep insects out

Many pests abhor the acid in lemon. You can chop of the peels and place them along thresholds, windowsills, and near any cracks or holes where ants or pests may be entering. For other ways to combat pests naturally, see 7 Steps to Chemical-Free Pest Control.

9. Make a scented humidifier

If your home suffers from dry heat in the winter, you can put lemon peels in a pot of water and simmer on the lowest stove-top setting to humidify and scent the air.

10. Refresh cutting boards 

Because of lemon’s low pH, it has antibacterial properties that make is a good choice for refreshing cutting boards. After proper disinfecting (see: How to Clean Your Cutting Board) give the surface a rub with a halved lemon, let sit for a few minutes, and rinse.

11. Keep brown sugar soft

If your brown sugar most often turns into brick sugar, try adding some lemon peel (with traces of pulp and pith removed) to help keep it moist and easy to use. (For all recipes using lemon peel, try to use organic lemons–and scrub the peel well to remove any residues and wax.)


12. Make zest

Zest is the best! Zest is simply grated peel, and is the epitome of lemon essence–it can be used fresh, dried, or frozen. If you don’t have an official zester, which looks like a very fine cheese grater, you can use the smallest size of a box grater. To dry zest, spread it on a towel and leave out until dried, then store in a jar. To freeze, use a freezer-safe container. Use zest in salads, marinades, baked goods, grain dishes, etc.

13. Make Vegan Lemon Biscotti

Once you’ve made some zest, make these Vegan Lemon Biscotti cookies. Delicious.

14. Make twists

Strips of peel, aka twists, are good in cocktails, sparkling water, and tap water. Use a vegetable peeler to make long strips, or use a knife and cut the peel into long strips, cutting away the white pith which is bitter. These can be frozen in a freezer-safe container or bag.

15. Make lemon extract powder

Make zest or twists (above) and dry the strips skin-side down on a plate until they are shriveled and dried up, about 3 or 4 days.  Put in a blender (or spice grinder) and pulverize into a powder. Use the powdered peel in place of extract or zest in recipes.

16. Make Lemon Sugar

You can make lemon extract powder (see above) and add it to sugar, or you can use fresh twists, put them in a jar with sugar and let the peel’s oil infuse the sugar.

17. Make Lemon Pepper

Mix lemon extract powder (see above) with freshly cracked pepper.

18. Make candied lemon peel

Orange or grapefruit peel can be candied too.  Yum. Candied peels are pretty easy to make, and can be eaten plain, or dipped in melted chocolate, used in cake, cookie, candy, or bread recipes. These recipes for candied citrus and ginger use Sucanat, the most wholesome sugar you can buy.

19. Lighten age spots

Many folk remedies suggest using lemon peel to help lighten age spots–apply a small piece to the affected area and leave on for an hour. You can also try one of these 5 natural ways to lighten age spots.

20. Soften dry elbows

Use a half lemon sprinkled with baking soda on elbows, just place your elbow in the lemon and twist the lemon (like you are juicing it) for several minutes. Rinse and dry.

21. Use on your skin

Lemon peels can be very lightly rubbed on your face for a nice skin tonic, then rinse. (And be careful around your eyes.)

22. Make a sugar scrub

Mix 1/2 a cup of sugar with finely chopped lemon peel and enough olive oil to make a paste. Wet your body in the shower, turn off the water and massage sugar mix all over your skin, rinse, be soft! You can also try any of these 5 simple homemade sugar scrubs as well.

Also see: 13 Ways to Use Cucumbers, 35 Tips to Give Kitchen Trash a Second Life, 23 Ingenious Uses for White Wine Vinegar

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/22-uses-for-lemon-peels.html#ixzz1xJD9szaO

SO FRUSTRATING!!!

My Blog format is messed up in Safari Browser so I deleted one at a time my 20 most recent blog post, usually it's an embedded CSS to HTML code burried in a blog post that scrambles a blog format...AND I CAN'T FIND IT !!!!!!  I'm going to ask my son if he can find it, he's out-geeked me.

Sooooo, sorry if I deleted someone's favorite post...

Make your own Mod Podge

I discovered a penny-pinching way of making Mod Podge.

Credit to:  http://westwood.fortunecity.com/ghost/818/craftshomedecor.htm

Mod Podge Glaze:

Mix 3 parts white glue (elmer's or any cheap brand) to 1 part water.
Add more or less water to get the desired texture and thickness.
Add 2 Tbsp. varnish, for shine.  

I store mine in a Mason Jar ( I love, love, love, Mason Jars)!

Just Like Mod Podge:   (I have not tried this recipe yet)

1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. non-self rising flour
1/2 tsp. powdered alum
1 3/4 c. water
1/4 tsp. oil of cinnamon

In medium size pan, mix together sugar, flour and alum.
Gradually add 1 cup water, stirring vigorously to break up lumps.
Boil until clear and smooth, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.
Add remaining water and oil.  Stir until thoroughly mixed.  Put into container with screw on lid.

Now just to be thoroughgoing:   Why You Should Not Make Your Own Mod Podge

However, it works okay for my little projects.

Street Bank ~ Great Idea

http://www.streetbank.com/

...is a website that allows you to see all that your neighbours are giving away or lending. It's a giant attic, garden shed, toolkit, fancy dress chest, library and DVD collection for you and anyone living within one mile of your home.

1. Sign up for an account using your postcode.
2. Add one thing that you would be prepared to help with, lend or give away.
3. See people within one mile of you, and all their things. 

http://www.streetbank.com/

To My Blogger Friends

I am so sorry that I haven't been posting much.  It's been a wee bit of rough year for me.  A lot of Fibro Flares, fatigue, An autoimmune diagnosis and my doctor thinks I might have another overlapping autoimmune disorder.   I feel exhausted all the time.   Now I have learned that a large and growing larger Parotid Tumor at my jaw line (I discovered in in 2003 but thought it was just a cyst since I have quit a few of them). ENT Surgen says it must come out but the good news is he believes that there is only a 20% chance that it's malignant -but- that there's a chance that while he's stripping the tumor from the facial nerves there's a possibility of me ending up with facial paralysis.

I am not happy about this.  This will make five surgeries in fave years.  This is going to throw me into a severe Fibro Flare.

and I'm scared.

Patty
xox

White Bean Gravy

THIS SOUNDS DELICIOUS!!!

White Bean Gravy

Make Your Own Olive Oil Lamp

I think this is a fantastic idea. a frugal, earth friendly choice for emergency preparedness -and- a frugal option for homemade holiday gifts  with a little creativity.    

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/Make-Olive-Oil-Lamp.aspx By Deanna Duke

Enlarge Image This olive oil lamp is fast and easy to make at home, and it’s a safe, reliable light to have around during power outages. PHOTO: DEANNA DUKE

If you live in an area that frequently experiences power outages due to hurricanes, high winds and other storms, one of the things you want to have on hand during storm season is backup lighting. Candles are a sure bet, but they don’t put out much light and — if you want to choose options made from renewable, organic materials — beeswax and soy candles can get mighty expensive.
There are hand-crank and battery-powered lanterns, but what if you don’t already have one on hand when a power outage strikes? The same problem exists if you’re looking for a kerosene or other oil-style lamp. So, what do you do during an emergency for light? How about something that is easy to acquire, inexpensive and gentle on the environment?
The answer is you can make your own olive oil lamp. You don’t need much in the way of equipment and if you don’t have olive oil, you can replace it with other types of cooking oil — or any kind of liquid fat or grease in a pinch. However, I must warn you that while olive is a 99 percent pure renewable fuel that won’t produce smoke or odor, I can’t vouch for canola or corn oil as being smoke-free or that it won’t make the house smell like burnt popcorn.
Making your lamp is relatively easy, and most likely you will have many of the materials on hand already. Here’s what you’ll need:

• A wide-mouthed glass jar (a quart-size wide-mouthed canning jar works really well)
• A short length of flexible steel wire (1 1/2 or 2 times the height of the jar)
• A wick
• Olive oil

Putting Together the Lamp

1. Form one end of the steel wire into a long hook, about the same height as the jar. This hook holds the wire on the jar and doubles as a handle to pull the wick up for lighting. (See photos in the Image Gallery.)
2. Take the other end of the wire and wrap it into a coil, creating a wick stand about an inch or two tall that sits on the bottom of the jar.
3. Pinch the top of the metal coil onto about 2 inches in length of wick so that about a quarter inch or less of the wick is sticking up above the wire coil. Any longer and the wick will smoke. The other end of the wick will be soaking in the olive oil.
4. Add enough olive oil to your jar so that the level is just under where the wick is pinched by the wire. Any higher and you risk putting out the lamp with the oil.

How the Lamp Works

The olive oil is drawn up the wick where it vaporizes and gets burned by the flame. A few ounces of oil will burn for several hours, so if you are concerned about the cost, it is much cheaper than most candles. If you can find lampante oil (olive oil not suitable for eating, but for burning), you can save money by buying that instead of culinary olive oil.
Want to get fancy with your olive oil lamp? You can infuse your olive oil with herbs, spices or essential oils for a more scented experience.
Olive oil lamps have been used for thousands of years and people have relied on oil lamps in general up until the last few generations. They are reliable, plus they burn bright and long. The benefit of olive oil is that if the lamp gets knocked over, it stops burning because it has a high flash point, meaning that it’s not a very flammable material. As a result, an olive oil lamp is far safer than a candle or kerosene lantern. If you are having problems with it smoking when you blow it out, use wet fingers to put out the flame, or just douse it with the oil in the jar.

Notes on Materials

One of the benefits of using a canning jar is that, when the oil lamp is not in use, you can put a canning lid on top for storage. A wide-mouthed pint jar will also work well, you just need to adjust the size of the wick holder.
For your wick, you can use 100 percent cotton string or twine and salt it to ensure that it burns long. To salt your wick, take your cotton twine, put it in a bowl with a little water and then cover with table salt. Squeeze it dry and let it dry overnight, or until it is no longer damp.
If you need or want your lamp to emit more light, try using a braided, flat wick (a half inch or narrower), adjusting the way the wire supports this kind of wick by crimping it to accommodate the extra girth. You can buy flat wicks from stores that carry supplies for oil lamps (such as Lehman’s). Or, you can cut up an old 100 percent cotton tea towel into strips and use that instead.

I like this idea better because of the 'lid'

http://www.examiner.com/diy-in-san-antonio/how-to-make-an-olive-oil-lamp

Olive oil lamps last several hours

If you like to impress your guests with candles, but don't like the heavy paraffin smell which accompanies them, a simple and fun alternative is to make your own oil lamp using olive oil.  Olive oil burns clean with no smell (to scent it naturally, just add dried herbs or spices). It also has a high flash point, so it won't catch fire easily and will burn more slowly. More impressively, you can use the glass bottle the oil already comes in for the lamp, so there's no need to go hunting for canning jars or other appropriate containers.
To begin, you'll need the glass bottle of olive oil with one third of the oil still inside (hopefully you've already used the other two thirds, or have poured it into another container). Extra virgin bottles work great, as they tend to be more sturdy and decorative. You'll also need a wick, which in this case is a short strip (roughly 4" long x ½ " wide) of pure cotton or linen fabric (cotton string works well too); a hammer; a Phillips screwdriver or thick nail; a small bowl and a couple sheets of paper towel. Once you've collected your items and cleared your workspace (preferably a kitchen table), start making your lamp:
-Unscrew the lid (this should be metal) and poke a hole in the top using the hammer and nail (or screwdriver).

Soak wick in oil before inserting

-To make the wick, place your fabric strip or string into the bowl. Natural fabric or string works best, otherwise your wick may smell and not burn as well. Pour in just enough olive oil to saturate the strip. Once it is thoroughly soaked, take out the strip and place it on the paper towel; squeeze out any excess oil to prevent dripping.
-Fill the jar with slowly with water; the oil will quickly separate to the top. Make sure you fill the jar almost to the rim, as the closer the oil is to the lid, the easier it is for the wick to stay lit.

Make sure wick sits 1/2" above lid

-Push the pre-soaked strip through the hole you've made and have it sitting about ½ inch above the lid. Feed the other end of the strip into the jar and screw the lid back on tight.
-Make sure you wipe off any oil splatters on the table or outside of the jar, and then light the wick. The wick may smoke a bit to begin with, but then it should clear to form a nice, even flame. Your lamp should be able to burn for several hours. When the wick gets too low to burn properly, simply blow it out and pull more fabric or string up using a pin.