[Dehydrator] Citrus Zest

[theinfamousj]

IN SEASON ALERT! It is winter and that means citrus is in season so that means they are cheap and plentiful!

As a person with executive dysfunction, I loathe grating citrus zest. One of the substitutes I like to make is a powdered citrus peel. I make this from the peel of citrus fruits I was otherwise eating anyway, and simply reserve the peel for this extra process. This is a /r/NoScrapLeftBehind kind of #frugal winner.

It is very simple to make: raw (as in not boiled to otherwise cooked) citrus peel (including pith) dehydrated and then ground up in a spice grinder.



4 oz of citrus peel, including pith, weighed in a coffee filter on my messy kitchen table

Want that in more detail?


Materials List

• citrus peel
• kitchen scale
• dehydrator [substitute flatish basket, convenient tree limbs, and a tea towel over it like this]
• spice grinder [substitute mortar and pestle]
• clean, dry paintbrush or basting brush
• final storage container for finished spice

Procedure

1. You were already going to eat an orange, clementine, or grapefruit. Don't try to do this with kumquats - they are too small and delicate to peel.
2. Save the peel. Weight it on the kitchen scale. You want to process batches of 4 oz of peel if you plan to use this in recipes I list here on the site.
3. Tear the peel and place those torn pieces on the dehydrator trays.
4. Set the dehydrator to 135F and leave it to do its thing for 2 days. I set mine outside on my covered porch, and then sit nearby while reading a book to enjoy the perfumed air. This spares me the odor indoors as well as the sound of the dehydrator fan in action. When the peels are fully dehydrated, you can stop the dehydration process. This may take a week if using the solar (aka "outdoors with a basket") method, and the tea towel will keep bird poop from being added to your peels.
   
   How will you know the peels are fully dehydrated? If you have to ask, they aren't. You'll have no doubts because there won't even the the slightest hint of moisture when they are, and you'll know by feel and sound alone.
5. Put the dehydrated peels into your spice grinder (or mortar and pestle) and whirr until static electricity causes some of the citrus peel powder to stick to the top of the spice grinder cup. This indicates a finished consistency and can be removed with a dry paintbrush (which you might have in your kitchen for spreading sauces).
6. Move citrus peel powder into its final storage container.

On a personal note, I keep my dehydrated food powders in old pill bottles. They are just the right size to fit in my spice rack.