Reusing citrus

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Lemon peels can be used as a natural repellent for ants or bugs, for cleaning your skin, as well as for skin care. They can even work as natural fire starters.

Amazing, right?

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Repel unwanted visitors 

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You love co-living with us but ants and bugs are a bit too much as flatmates? No worries, lemon peels are here to save your day. Ants don’t like lemons so if you scatter a few peels in your home, you will have no more unwanted visitors. If you dry the peels and mix them with soil and some coffee grounds, you can plant them on entries, making sure bugs will prefer to stay out of your home as well.

 

Improve your kitchen game 

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If you want to step up your cooking game even further than suggested in the book, try citrus oil. For this, you only need to warm up the citrus zest, not the bitter white pith, in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Make sure that your medium heat does not boil the oil. Take out the zest and you have delicious citrus oil.

You can also just freeze the juice and use it whenever you need that special something in your meals. Dehydrating the fruits and baking, especially the peels, for about two hours at 100°C can be used as a powder once blended.

 

Start your fire or clean your skin with citrus

 

In addition to the many ideas presented, you can also use citrus for your skincare routine or to start your next BBQ. Mixing citrus peels, like lemon, orange or lime with salt or sugar will make your skin glow. Baking, darkening and drying orange or lemon peels make a great fire starter.

 

Even more ways to use leftover meat

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Do you prefer Italian food and that was covered too little in the recipe chapter? No worries, I got you covered! How about ravioli or tortellini? They will help to make a good impression for your next dinner invite and you can reuse the meat you have left. So what are you waiting for?

It is as easy as tacos. Shred your leftover meat and tuck them in ravioli rappers you either made yourself or bought. Drop them in boiling water. When they float on top e già finito! You can use the juice left from your roast for a tasty addition and finish your dish with some parmesan.

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En brodo is also a good way to present the ravioli: Use the roast’s bones to create a broth.

If you do not want to eat the meat anymore or want another idea for reusing meat, here you go:

Do something good for the environment and your dog. You can reuse meat for dog treats.

Let me give you an idea: This recipe is allergy-friendly and should not harm your dog. You, knowing your pet the best, should still of course check the ingredients and suitability for your dog’s stomach. 

Keeping that in mind, let’s go:

You need two cups of shredded and chopped leftover turkey. In addition, one cup of grated cheddar cheese, two cups of potato flakes and a bit more than a cup of warm water.

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Now, preheat the oven to 200 °C. Mix the potato flakes with the water and add the other ingredients as well. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet about a centimetre thick and leave it in the oven for about 25 minutes. Right afterwards cut it in the form you like and let it cool.

Done, use it to teach your dog some tricks and do not forget to show me. I’ll even crawl out of the compost to see the tricks!

 

The magical world of bread reuse 

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As you learned in the last chapter, we do not like smelly garlic and onions either. How about we culinary travel to another country for our final recipe and I will show you how to reuse many non-compostable goods at once? 

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For a french onion soup, you can use your onions, garlic, leftover bread and even leftover beef for beef stock. You can use every kind of onion and will need five to six onions for the soup. To caramelize the onions usually butter is used, but you can use oil or vegan alternatives as well. If the onions start to burn in the pan, you can add a bit of white wine and water. Feel free to add a bit of sugar, if you want.

It will take about 30 to 40 minutes until all the onions are caramelized and golden. So feel free to read through our book again, put some good music on or listen to a podcast and enjoy your quality time in the kitchen. For the last moments, add the garlic. About four garlic cloves should be fine. 

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If you want a soup that is a bit thicker, you can add flour. Two tablespoons of flour are enough. 

Increase the heat and mix in the wine, about 250ml dry white wine, and about 1,3l of the beef stock. You can also choose another broth if you prefer a vegetarian option. 

For the last steps, toast the bread. For seasoning add herbs you like, as well as salt and pepper. Pour the soup in heatproof bowls, add the bread and, if you like, cheese. Grill until the cheese is melted.

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Voilà, you have your french dinner ready.