This orange scrap vinegar will make you feel like a hero for turning your waste into something usable and healthy. The zest is delicious in baked goods but more importantly the scraps can be turned into gut healthy and probiotic rich orange scrap vinegar. And don’t throw out the fermented peels at the end of the process! They make a great healthy treat for cows and pigs!!

Glass mason jar sitting on a counter, full of zested orange peel scraps and covered with sugar water and topped with a white ramekin.

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What is an economical, no waste kitchen?

Part of having an economical, no waste kitchen means that we shouldn’t waste anything. We have to be good stewards of what resources we have, which is even more important when our money isn’t going as far as it used to.

We like to buy organic citrus in bulk when it’s in season directly from an Amish farm. Buying it in bulk and in season means it’s cheaper overall which stretches our dollars. Since citrus ripens during the winter months, we keep our boxes of citrus in our cool mudroom until we are ready to enjoy them.

Another way you can stretch your dollars is by zesting the oranges, freezing the zest for later use, and making orange scrap vinegar from the scraps! (You can make vinegar with any fruit or vegetable scraps and even with edible flowers and herbs.) Of course you’ll also want to enjoy eating the flesh of your oranges or use it to make marmalade. If you buy organic citrus, you don’t have to worry about washing off wax, pesticides, and other chemicals. However, if buying organic isn’t in your budget, don’t worry! Just scrub your citrus with a solution of baking soda and water before you zest it.

Orange zest on a wooden cutting board and orange peel scraps in a gallon mason jar sitting on a counter.

You can use your frozen zest to make orange poppy seed bread or add it to pies or other baked goods like scones.

With 4 kids, we usually go through oranges pretty quick. I keep a sandwich-size bag of orange zest in my freezer door and just add to it every time I zest an orange until I fill it up. You can also keep the orange peel scraps in the freezer and collect them over time until you have enough to start a batch of orange scrap vinegar.

And don’t throw out your fermented orange peels at the end of the recipe! The fermented peels are a wonderful and healthy treat for cows and pigs!! This is TRULY a no-waste kitchen recipe.

How do I use fermented orange scrap vinegar?

You can use your orange scrap vinegar as a base for homemade salad dressing. It also does wonders as a hair rinse, face toner, and is a great alternative to chemical-heavy conventional cleaners! I also like to keep some vinegar in a pint jar in my fridge as a fermentation starter to help jump-start other ferments.

What are the health benefits of fermented orange scrap vinegar?

When you make probiotic-rich vinegar at home from scraps and sugar water, it will ferment on your counter and develop a “mother.” The mother is a SCOBY, or Symbiotic Community of Bacteria and Yeasts. We’ve all heard about how wonderful fermented foods are to our gut health. Fermented vinegar is rich in probiotics which is incredibly healing to your gut and will help improve your immunity and your health over time. Using food as medicine is a great way to keep your family (and animals) in good health. You can add a small amount of your fermented orange scrap vinegar to a glass of water to drink for health benefits including boosting your immune system and relieving acid indigestion.

Mostly I use my homemade vinegars for our animals, though. I pour about a cup over our dairy cow’s alfalfa pellets when we bring her into the stanchion to milk her. It’s not only good for human health but it’s amazing for your animals also.

Tip: I also like to add a bit of fermented vinegar to the water when a new batch of baby chicks comes in the mail. It gives them a probiotic boost and helps get them off on the right foot.

How long does orange scrap vinegar store for?

Orange scrap vinegar will last in your pantry at least 6 months to a year after you filter out the orange scraps. I’ve had some vinegars that last well over 2 years in my pantry.

Orange Scrap Vinegar Recipe

This orange scrap vinegar recipe easily doubles, so feel free to start a gallon jar if you have enough scraps!

You will need:

6-8 large oranges

1/4 cup cane sugar

unchlorinated water (If all you have is tap water, just fill a pitcher and let it sit out overnight. The chlorine will dissipate.)

half-gallon mason jar

zester or vegetable peeler

chopstick or butter knife

fermenting weight or ramekin

coffee filter or scrap of cloth

rubber band

Instructions

Zest and peel your oranges. (Save the zest in your freezer for future use.)
Add your peels to a half-gallon mason jar.
Once the mason jar is half-full of your zested orange peels, add 1/4 cup of sugar.
Fill the jar the rest of the way with unchlorinated water.
Use a chop stick or butter knife to stir and dissolve the sugar.
Top with more unchlorinated water, if necessary.
Cover with a fermenting weight or small ramekin.
Cover the mason jar with a coffee filter and add a rubber band around the rim.
Let it sit out on your counter and stir daily for a month. It’ll ferment and turn into vinegar!
Strain out the orange scrap peels and put a lid on your mason jar. Store in your pantry.

Recipe for Orange Scrap Vinegar