So Chinese New Year is just days away and the boxes of Mandarin oranges are piling up.
You’re likely to get stuck with a surplus after the festivities are over because, let’s face it, just how many can one gobble up?
Rather than risk falling sick – or turning orange – from eating too many, get creative about how to exhaust your stock. Here are some simple and useful ways you can use the fruit.
1. Make juice
If you can’t eat ’em, juice ’em! Mandarin oranges are bursting with vitamins A and B, which have been said to prevent cancer, and also make your complexion more radiant and youthful.
2. Bake a cake
Mandarin oranges are naturally sweet and have a delicious scent. Bake a cake with leftover fruits – you will need five to six oranges for a truly yummy cake.
3. Make an organic detergent
Most detergents contain citrus extracts as the fruit are natural cleaning agents that are particularly effective at removing odours.
Create a homemade detergent using leftover Mandarin oranges and vinegar. Leave these in a jar for two weeks, strain into a spray bottle, and use the mixture for cleaning.
4. Use them in savoury dishes
Mandarin orange peels can add some zest to your dishes. Use dried peels when cooking rice, as part of a marinade, or even as a seasoning ingredient.
Remove the skin and leave it to dry for several days, or pop it into an oven to speed up the dehydration process.
5. Make a body scrub
Mandarin oranges contain antioxidants and vitamins that are said to reduce wrinkles and blemishes, as well as keep the skin clean and healthy.
There are many easy-to-make recipes for body scrubs available on the internet.
6. Make sorbet
Love iced desserts? Use some of your leftover orange juice to make some sorbet.
A quick Google search will yield simple recipes for a refreshing slushy dessert.
7. Donate them
If you know of a family, an orphanage, or an old folks’ home, why not donate some oranges to them this Chinese New Year? It sure would make their day.
Happy Year of the Tiger, everyone!
This article first appeared in kaodim.com.
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