For our son’s birthday party yesterday, we made lemonade with dozens of lemons from our tree. Afterward, my husband looked at all the leftover lemon peel and asked if there was anything we could use them for. Leftover lemon peel, if pesticide free, has lots of uses. So let’s talk uses for leftover lemon peel.
I like using the peel for cleaning and culinary purposes because it is super flavorful, contains natural pectin, and smells amazing. Lemon peel contains antibacterial properties, making it perfect for killing germs; and since it also contains a high concentration of citric acid, it is great for general disinfecting and cleaning.
Lemon Marmalade—One of my favorite uses for leftover peel is lemon marmalade. Yes, you read that right — marmalade!! This recipe tastes great on toast, is great in dessert, and much more.
Ingredients:
28 pieces leftover lemon peel, all seeds removed
12 cups sugar
10 cups water
Mix lemon peels in a food processer until finely chopped. You don’t want large pieces of peel. Place in large pot with water and bring to a boil. Cook for 30 minutes on medium heat. Add sugar and cook for another 15 minutes or until there is a thicker consistency. You can leave marmalade pieces as they are, or you can mix until smooth. Pour marmalade into clean and sterilized mason jars.
This is how you sterilize you jars:
Lemon All-purpose Cleaner—A great cleaner for counter tops, floors, stove and windows.
Method:
Place lemon peels in a large jar with lid and add vinegar until all peels are completely submerged. Screw on lid and let it sit for 4 weeks. Shake occasionally. Strain liquid into a spray bottle.
More Uses for Leftover Peels:
Freeze lemon zest—I always try to save the zest for future culinary uses, so before using the lemons, I zest them and freeze it.
Clean bathroom and tubs—Sprinkle baking soda onto a given surface; then, using the cut side of a lemon, scrub the surface with baking soda.
Degrease and remove spots from dishes—The citric acid in lemon peels are great for removing grease and stains on dishes, and shining silverware. Simply put a lemon peel into the silverware compartment of the dishwasher during dish cycle.
Remove stains from coffee cups—Rub cut side of lemon on stain in coffee cups to remove it.
Clean and remove stain in sink—Rub cut side of lemon on sink sprinkled with baking soda .
Deodorize and remove bacteria from cutting board—Rub cut side of lemon on cutting board to remove odor and germs.
For more tips and recipes for using leftover lemon peel, go here:
https://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/top-9-uses-leftover-lemon-peels/
Beatriz Garcia
This is so helpful. I like to grind out lemon zest into a powder and then add it to icing sugar (or substitute) to get a lovely lemon icing.
I had no idea there were so many other uses for lemon peel though!