Phaedra's Adventure

[akroberts]

My neighbor just brought me a bag of oranges from her yard so I am going to dehydrate the skin and use them for flavoring cakes

 

[akroberts]

Phaedra I have a bunch of oranges and I was thinking about dehydrating the skin and use them for cakes. I would like to get your thoughts on this. I would like to try to use them for a cake roll like you do and I would also like to use the orange it's self to put in the filling

 

[Phaedra]

Phaedra I have a bunch of oranges and I was thinking about dehydrating the skin and use them for cakes. I would like to get your thoughts on this. I would like to try to use them for a cake roll like you do and I would also like to use the orange it's self to put in the filling

If you would like to dehydrate the skin only, I am not sure if the texture will be suitable to use in a cake roll. If what you mean is to candy them, the final product is more often used for baking.

Here are some inputs for your reference:

1. Orange peels - if you want to candy them, please ensure that (A) they are thoroughly cleaned and (B) avoid white layer when possible. The white layer is the source of bitterness. I use a peeler when the oranges are fresh and the skin are comparatively firm.

2. The candied orange peels, in my opinion, can add a lot of flavors to the rich cakes (like pound cakes) and can be a good decoration, too.

3. The fresh orange for the filling: they will be tasty, when the cake will be consumed in a short time, let's say within a few hours. Longer than that, the fresh orange will create excessive juice and might cause a little troubles. I usually enjoy the fresh orange juice first and keep the flesh (you can keep them in small containers and store them in the freezer). When I want an orange tone, I add the flesh inside the batter. They are very suitable for almost all kind of cakes, including cheese cakes.

4. Finally, for purely dehydrated citrus peels, means no sugar is involved, they are very charming when you brew some tea.

I hope you enjoy the oranges.

 

[akroberts]

If you would like to dehydrate the skin only, I am not sure if the texture will be suitable to use in a cake roll. If what you mean is to candy them, the final product is more often used for baking.

Here are some inputs for your reference:

1. Orange peels - if you want to candy them, please ensure that (A) they are thoroughly cleaned and (B) avoid white layer when possible. The white layer is the source of bitterness. I use a peeler when the oranges are fresh and the skin are comparatively firm.

2. The candied orange peels, in my opinion, can add a lot of flavors to the rich cakes (like pound cakes) and can be a good decoration, too.

3. The fresh orange for the filling: they will be tasty, when the cake will be consumed in a short time, let's say within a few hours. Longer than that, the fresh orange will create excessive juice and might cause a little troubles. I usually enjoy the fresh orange juice first and keep the flesh (you can keep them in small containers and store them in the freezer). When I want an orange tone, I add the flesh inside the batter. They are very suitable for almost all kind of cakes, including cheese cakes.

4. Finally, for purely dehydrated citrus peels, means no sugar is involved, they are very charming when you brew some tea.

I hope you enjoy the oranges.

Thank you for the information. I'm not a baker but I would like to start doing a bit more for my family. I will look for a recipe to candy the skin and maybe try making some marmalade.

 

[akroberts]

Phaedra I would like to give you a recipe. I came up with this last summer. I was craving french fries and looked at the zucchini and yellow squash on the stove and said squash fries. I cut both in 1/2 then cut them into fries. I gave them a quick milk bath and then rolled them in lightly seasoned flour and then I deep fried them. They were so good. I want to let as many people know the recipe as I can. I hope you will try them.

 

[Phaedra]

Phaedra I would like to give you a recipe. I came up with this last summer. I was craving french fries and looked at the zucchini and yellow squash on the stove and said squash fries. I cut both in 1/2 then cut them into fries. I gave them a quick milk bath and then rolled them in lightly seasoned flour and then I deep fried them. They were so good. I want to let as many people know the recipe as I can. I hope you will try them.

Thank you, I will absolutely try that with our harvest this year!

By the way, I also like to use citrus peels to make household cleaning agent. I just 'harvested' a batch of this year's citrus vinegar.

Compared with the 2023 version, this year I added more lemon peels, so the color and fragrance are also varied. I like this turning waste into something useful a lot.

 

[ducks4you]

Thank you for the information. I'm not a baker but I would like to start doing a bit more for my family. I will look for a recipe to candy the skin and maybe try making some marmalade.

I would suggest Orange Jam instead of Marmalade. I made delicious orange marmalade a few years back, but I HATED how runny it was, always seeping off the toast and making my hands sticky.
When I made an orange cake last year I had leftover oranges and I made jam. I Loved it. It was gone in a flash.
Just MHO...

Orange Marmalade Recipe (Orange Jam) - Mon Petit Four

Learn how to make homemade orange marmalade recipe from scratch that doesn't take hours, plus the trick to keeping it bitter-free!

www.monpetitfour.com

 

[Phaedra]

Plum blossom, spring arrives.

Large-cupped Narcissus 'Snowtip

All kinds of leafy greens sowed in the end of January - stable growth and ready for transplanting soon

Lettuces are also promising.

Those lovely spots!

Finally, adzuki beans are all sprouting, hooray!

Indoor plants are doing well, too.

 

[Phaedra]

Today's routine grocery and Lidl bags - 9 Euros for a lot of food, but it needs a slight effort to clean them up.

Looks better

We moved the quail house out from this mini hoop tunnel, where I planned to be a simple tomato house in summer. But before that, it still can be a shelter for leafy greens and plants need pre-sprouting. I will go to pick some wood tomorrow and build a foldable door.

So far, it is working nicely.

As we got two cauliflowers from Lidl bags today, I made fried dumplings with one. Just chopped a cauliflower and mixed it with ground pork, eggs, and seasonings - delicious, nutritious, and cost-effective!

The lovely drink today is chilled Lemon Oolong Tea~

 

[akroberts]

Phaedra I am hoping that my harvest this year will look similar to the photo you posted above. I'm also going to try to get a fall garden going as well.