How to make orange powder

If you want to make the most of your home grown oranges and lemons all year long, one way to do it is to make orange or lemon powder from dried peels. The lemon and orange flavor can enhance almost any dish!

Orange powder is especially delicious in chocolate cakes, fudge and muffins. The lemon powder works well in Mediterranean pasta dishes and Indian curries. You can also use the powders in salad dressings, guacamole and sprinkled on top of grated raw vegetable salads. For a festive touch, you can even dip the edge of your cocktail glass into it!!

Step 1  Use organic, home grown or spray free citrus. Remove the flesh from the peel

Step 2 cut away the white pith

Step 3 If you have a dehydrator you can use that, otherwise the de-pithed skins can be left in a warm sunny place in your kitchen  in summer to dry them out. In winter put them on a tray in a cooled down oven after you have had the oven on for baking or doing a roast.  You just have to make sure the oven is not too hot as you can easily burn those thin skins ( 50 degrees or cooler) degrees. The skins need to be totally dried out, nice and crispy hard. The orange zest is dry when it crushes under pressure. Store in a glass jar until you have collected a larger amount that can be put into a small food processor to grind them into powder.

Step 4 Grind the peels up in a food processor

Step 5 Store in a glass jar

The dried powder will last for up to six months.  Depending on how strong a citrus flavour you like 3 teaspoons for a muffin recipe should be fine. For a classic chocolate cake we would suggest a heaped tablespoon or more, if you love the combination of chocolate and orange. For an average size bowl of raw salad  1-2 teaspoons would add zing.

Recipe and photos thanks to Ismene Gemsjaeger