This orange scrap vinegar will make you feel like a hero for turning your waste into something usable and healthy. Orange zest is delicious in baked goods, and orange juice is great all by itself. But did you know that 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 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.

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 or muffins.

With four kids, we usually go through oranges pretty quickly. I keep a sandwich-size bag of orange zest in my freezer and add to it every time I zest an orange until I fill it up.

You can also keep the pithy 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 pigs. This is TRULY a no-waste kitchen recipe.

Here is how I make my orange scrap vinegar.

How to Make Orange Scrap Vinegar

To make orange scrap vinegar, fill a glass jar half way with orange scraps, some sugar, and filtered water. Then stir it, cover it with a coffee filter, and let it sit for 30 days with a daily stir. There are some essential extra details that you should also follow, though.

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

Ingredients

Scraps from 6-8 large oranges
1/4 cup cane sugar
unchlorinated, filtered water (Note: If all you have is tap water, just fill a pitcher and let it sit out overnight. The chlorine will dissipate.)

Supplies

half-gallon glass mason jar
zester or vegetable peeler
chopstick or butter knife
fermenting weight or ramekin
coffee filter or scrap of cloth
rubber band

Instructions

Pile of orange zest on a wooden cutting board.

First, zest or peel the thin, orange skin from your oranges. Save the flavorful zest in your freezer for future baking use.

Orange peels filling up half of the inside of a glass mason jar.

Add the pithy peels to the half-gallon glass mason jar. This is the orange scraps you will use for making your orange scrap vinegar.

Then add 1/4 cup of sugar to the jar, and fill it the rest of the way with unchlorinated, filtered water. Take a butter knife or chop stick to stir the ingredients until the sugar is dissolved.

Add a coffee filter or piece of clean cloth over the top opening of the jar, and wrap a rubber band around it. Set the jar out of direct sunlight, and stir it every day for 30 days. You can also add a fermenting weight or small ramekin to the inside of the jar to keep the contents from floating to the top.

The mixture will turn into hooch (an alcoholic liquor) within 5 to 7 days, and then it will continue to ferment until it reaches vinegar in about 30 days. You can get pH test strip paper from Amazon or possibly your local hardware store to test the acidity after 30 days, but as long as you keep the jar between 50°F (10°C) to 70°F (20°C), it should smell and taste like vinegar after 30 days.

After 30 days, strain out your orange scrap peels and decant your homemade vinegar into a clean glass jar with a lid. You should store your vinegar in a dark, cool pantry until you’re ready to use it.

Glass mason jars of orange scrap vinegar on a kitchen counter.

The beauty of making homemade vinegar is that it will have the “mother” in it! The “mother of vinegar” is the prized gelatinous disc that develops on top of your vinegar when it sits undisturbed. The disc, or “flower,” is a combination of cellulose, yeast, and bacteria.

The gelatinous disc of the mother of vinegar in a glass mason jar of homemade vinegar.

The longer your vinegar sits, the thicker the disc will become. As soon as you shake or jostle the jar, though, the disc will fall to the bottom of your jar.

The mother is a biofilm that is full of good bacteria that are responsible for turning alcohol into vinegar.

Recipe for Orange Scrap Vinegar

Orange Scrap Vinegar

This orange scrap vinegar will make you feel like a hero for turning your orange scraps into something usable and healthy. When citrus goes on sale, I like to buy it in bulk for an extra discount. And after eating the fruit, I put the peels in freezer bags to store in my freezer until I have enough to make a batch of sweet-smelling vinegar with the "mother" in it! Use it for cooking, cleaning, dishwashers, clothes washers, and even as a probiotic-rich drink such as shrubs!

Fermenting Time 30