Three Months of Orange Zest

I love cooking and garnishing food with citrus and the thought of going three months without is not good.  My first thought was to freeze it, but I’m afraid my freezer is getting out of control and very full.  So I did a little research and here’s what I found – orange zest can be preserved in salt or sugar, which is very tasty and looks beautiful!  Orange zest can also be dried and that’s the option I took.

It’s simple, just grate off the orange part of the peel (not the white).  Place it in a thin layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake in a pre-heated 170 degree oven for about 30 minutes, stirring half way through.  Cool and store in a jar.  A food dehydrator would work too, if you are doing a large batch.

I also found ways that the rest of the orange peel can be used all around the house.  Now on to the lemons and limes!

 

Updated April 4th, 2011 – The best way for drying zest is to spread it on a piece of parchment paper and leave it sitting out for about 24 hrs. Done!

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