Leftover oranges are pure gold

Don't toss leftover oranges. They have so many fabulous uses as a food and drink enhancer, cleaner, odour management and pest controller

The most important thing to know about oranges is that the skin is just as valuable as the juice. Eat, drink, clean. That's the way to look at pretty much all citrus fruit. The reason is that citrus acid and oil are powerful cleaners. If your oranges are literally rotting, put them in the compost or garden bin, but if they are simply old or you have too many, there are many many things you can do with them.

1. Older oranges are usually thin skinned and this generally makes the juice both sweet and easy to extract. If you juice them and don't want the juice today, you can freeze the juice into paddle pops, ice cubes or cups for drinking at another timer.
2. Make a healthy version of a orange soda by mixing half juice with half soda stream sode. 
3. Save your squeezings in a glass jar to pour over a fruit salad after you have added plain yoghurt, or save to pour over some salsa and chicken or fish.
4. Put your squeezings into ice cubes and keep for when you have a cooking need or simply some ice cubes. 
5. An orange rind filled with salt placed in the frig will absorb odors and leave behind a sweet, pleasant aroma.
6. Keep your orange peels. Get a one litre bottle of vinegar that is half full. Every time you use an orange, take the peel off and put it into the vinegar. Seep your orange peels in vinegar for 4 - 8 weeks and then filter out the skins. The remaining liquid is the best surface cleaner  you will ever own. Make sure you test it on a surface in case it needs watering down.

There's way more to oranges than Vitamin C

While oranges are rich in vitamin C, which helps to boost your immune system, oranges are also rich in other vitamins and minerals too. These include potassium, which improves cardiac health, vitamin B6, which takes care of your hemoglobins, vitamin A for healthy eyesight and calcium for strong bones.

d-limonene

Orange oil contains d-limonene which is the compound that makes it such an excellent cleaner and useful for pest control.  Commercially, orange oil is made by pressing orange peels and separating the oil. While your orange peel vinegar cleaning solution isn't as strong as orange oil, it is very versatile and it is pretty powerful and will degrease, remove sticky spots and smell beautiful.

The best oranges are usually very bright in colour and weigh the most. Older oranges will yield the greatest amount of juice, but have a pile of sugar. To find the best oranges, check your local farmers market.

Image: Unsplash | okeykat

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