Uses for Orange Rinds

No need to throw an orange rind out.

The sweet flesh of the orange is not the only part of the fruit worth paying attention to. The fragrant orange rind, or the peel as it is more commonly known, has many possible uses beyond ending up at the bottom of a trash can or compost heap. Uses for orange rind are easy, environmentally friendly and inexpensive. In all cases, be sure to wash oranges thoroughly to remove pesticides and contaminants.

For Their Scent

In their dried form, orange rinds provide a sweet citrus aroma to potpourri blends, especially complementing spice notes. When guests are coming, or just for your own enjoyment, the rinds can be simmered in a pot of water with cinnamon and cloves. Also, a few rinds can be fed through the garbage disposal to mask unpleasant odors.

Fake Fangs

Easy false teeth may be made from quartered oranges. After you've eaten the inside of the orange, save the leftover rind with the white pith intact. A sharp knife may be used to cut a zigzag pattern along the bottom side of one wedge, creating any number of teeth, from a toothy shark's bite to a vampire's two long teeth. With the rind inverted so that the white pith is turned outwards, place your new fangs between your upper lip and your gum line. The teeth are good for one use and should be disposed of after wearing.

Candle

A halved orange rind may used with a little olive oil to make an attractive candle. This craft requires the whole rind to be intact, sliced across the middle into two cup-shaped halves with the white string of pith inside the orange still attached. This string will be your wick, and this half of the orange rind is filled with 1/8" to 1/4" of olive oil.

The top half of the rind becomes the lid for the candle. A large hole cut in the center (in whatever shape you prefer) allows heat and light to escape. Over time, the candle will absorb the oil, making it possible to reuse. When the natural wick burns down, a commercially made wick can replace it and the oil may be refilled.

Fire Starter

If you have dried orange rind, this is a pleasant-smelling alternative to pieces of shredded paper or dried straw for starting a fire. The natural oils in an orange burn slowly and release a pleasing smell, giving you a longer burn that takes less kindling before larger fuel catches on fire.

Dessert Bowl

A large orange can form the basis of two dessert bowls that will infuse their flavor into whatever you place inside. Cut the orange in half and scrape out the fruit inside, eating it or conserving it for cooking. A scoop of ice cream is a popular choice, including sherbets made from the leftover flesh of the orange, but you may also use puddings or even bake brownies inside the halved parts or the orange.

Bug Repellant

Rubbing a fresh orange rind on your skin may help repel mosquitoes and other insects. The same agents that give an orange rind its bitter taste gives the plant a natural pest resistance that you may harness as a non-toxic, typically non-allergenic alternative to commercially sold products.

References

• Clementine Candle: Step By Step
• Wellsphere: Finding Uses for Orange Peel
• Efficacy of Essential Oils from Edible Plants as Insecticides Against the House Fly, Musca Domestica L.