As someone who enjoys cooking and sipping crafty cocktails, I like to have dried orange peel on hand. From marinades to fancy garnishes to my homemade mulling spice blend, I go through one or two cups of dried orange peel a year. I’ve given up on storebought orange peel because making your own at home is as easy as eating an orange.

Seriously, that’s it.

Just eat an orange, but peel the zest from it first and let it dry.

Okay, so there’s a little bit more involved than that, but basically, that’s the idea of the thing.

The more involved bits:

• Why it makes sense to do this during citrus season
• Why I no longer buy bags of citrus
• How to choose the perfect navel orange
• How to remove the wax coating and pesticide residue
• How to dry the orange peel for the best flavor

Living Seasonally During Citrus Season

Over the past decade, I’ve been living more in tune with the seasons. I think the pagans had it right, and our Gregorian calendar is just silly. Living this way, I’ve developed new habits that coincide with the seasonal calendar.

For instance.

Wintertime is peak citrus season here in the States. It’s the only time of year I bother buying oranges and other citrus for snacking because this is when it tastes the best. So, I figured, since I’m eating oranges anyway, I should peel the citrus rind from them first and dry it to use later.

The orange peel has a more intense flavor because I’m buying oranges at their peak, days after they’ve been picked off a tree.

By the time citrus season is over, I’ve eaten my fill of juicy Florida and California oranges, and I’ve got a pint jar full of dried orange peel that beats the pants off of anything you can get on Amazon or your local supermarket.

Why I No Longer Buy Bagged Citrus

These babies right here are the only citrus I buy by the bag.

It makes sense to buy bagged citrus. Why pay $3 for two navel oranges when you can get a 4lb bag (about nine oranges) for $6?

For me, it’s about food waste and the horrible guilt that comes with it. (Also, I’m a food snob. I want to eat great food.)  

Whenever I bought a bag of oranges or grapefruit or what have you, one of two scenarios would play out in my kitchen.

We would eat a few oranges from the bag but then get tired of them, and those last two or three would sit on the counter.

For ages.

Shriveling and getting smaller.

And less appetizing.

Finally, I would pitch them and feel horrible about wasting food and money.

Alternatively, I would buy a bag of oranges and find one was already rotten, and this one was underripe and incredibly sour and the next one would be fine, but the one after that would be dried out and taste like sawdust. I would give up and, well, return to the first scenario.

Sometime in the past five years, I got smart and decided to start buying citrus fruit by the piece. Sure, it costs more up front, but the fruit actually gets eaten because I’m only buying a few at a time, and I can choose the fruit I’m buying.

Because you know what’s more expensive than paying $3 for two navel oranges? Paying $6 for a bag of oranges and pitching half of them.

How to Choose the Perfect Navel Orange

Of course, if you’re going to spend a little more and buy fruit by the piece, it helps to know how to choose good fruit.

Choosing a juicy, flavorful navel orange (and similar citrus fruits)

• Weight – heft the fruit in your hand, it should feel heavy for its size, a sign that it’s good and juicy.
• Firm – squeeze the orange; it should be firm with a little give, not rock hard, but not overly soft, either.
• Color – navel oranges should be, well, orange. If they’re yellowish or have green on them, they were picked early and are less likely to have good flavor.

• Dimpled blossom scar – this is the end of the orange that was attached to the tree. The blossom scar should be slightly indented into the orange, meaning it was picked at peak ripeness. If it protrudes slightly,  this means it was picked before it was ripe.
• Smell – give the blossom scar a sniff. You should be able to smell the fruit.

Aim to find oranges that tick all these boxes, and you’re sure to have a sweet, juicy gem on your hands.

Removing the Wax Coating and Pesticide Residue

Most fruit is coated with a thin layer of wax to seal in moisture and protect the fruit during shipping. Normally, you’d peel your orange and eat it without bothering about the wax on the peel. However, since we’re saving the peel to eat, you want to remove the wax first.

I only remove the wax right when I’m ready to eat my orange; otherwise, the fruit spoils quicker.

Pour boiling water over your orange, then, using a stiff-bristled brush, vigorously scrub the orange under hot running water.

Once you’ve removed the wax, soak your orange in a bowl of warm water with a teaspoon of baking soda for fifteen minutes. Finally, rinse the orange well under cool running water.

Organic vs. Non-organic

Since we’re eating the peel, organic oranges are your best bet. But let’s be honest, organic fruits and veggies are stupidly expensive. And most of the time, they look worse for wear when they get to the store.

If you buy organic produce, awesome – I’m not here to change your mind. Rather, I’d like to alleviate the fears and frustrations of those of us who can’t or choose not to buy organic produce.

While plain old water removes some pesticide residue, an alkaline solution (pesticides break down in an alkaline pH) will remove most of the rest.

Will it get rid of them all? No, but pretty close. I tend to think of it like this – I’m not eating this every day, far from it. So, I’m okay with the tiny exposure I’ll get from eating the occasional dried orange peel from non-organic oranges. I can also polish off an entire sleeve of Oreos by myself, so I’m not here to judge.

On to the Dried Orange Peel

Now that your orange is all prepped and primped and ready for the ball, let’s get peeling.

Skip the zester and the vegetable peeler. The tool for the job is a good, sharp pairing knife. And yes, I do mean sharp. You need to be able to peel the zest and not the pith below it.

It’s a fine line between sweet, citrus-oil-filled zest and bitter white pith.

Working carefully, peel the zest in strips from the orange. This takes a bit of practice, but luckily, you’ve got the whole of citrus season to get the hang of it.

If you have a food dehydrator, great. Lay the strips out on the trays and run your dehydrator for two hours at 135 degrees. Let the finished peel cool completely before storing it in an airtight jar.

No dehydrator? No problem.

Don’t bother with your oven. Even the lowest heat setting is too high and will rob you of flavor. Instead, let the orange peel air dry.

Collect your zest peels in a clean bowl each time you eat an orange. Place a piece of cheesecloth or a dishtowel over the bowl to keep dust out and allow airflow. Each time you add new zest, stir the peels a bit so they don’t stick together and can dry evenly. In a couple of weeks, the peels will be dry and crunchy. They should snap and crumble apart easily.

Store your dried orange peel in a clean, airtight jar in the cupboard, away from light.

Naturally, if you’ve read this far, then you’re probably thinking, “Geeze, woman, this is an awful lot of fuss for dried orange peels. Who has time for all this?” It’s really not that fussy and only sounds like a lot because of all the information I’ve shared. In practice, removing the wax, washing your fruit and peeling the zest adds only a few minutes of extra time to peeling and eating an orange. Give it a try.