These orange chips look like the sun… with beautiful details of fire going out from the center.
Whenever you open up the jar, a sweet & bright smell frolics through your senses… giving you a burst of energy and happiness.
We are nearing the end of our orange season here. This year I’ve started to appreciate my citrus trees more, especially the oranges… last year I hardly did anything with them because I didn’t know what to do with it all! It was easy to grow tired of eating them and the juice was simply too sour to enjoy a glassful.
With some planning… I made candied orange spice peels and save the juice to make creamy popsicles & smoothies. I’ve used more orange zest in my baked goods then I ever have in my life!
With more oranges coming off the trees, I googled around and found this great site sharing all the different ways you can use the peels. One suggestion was to simply dehydrate the peels for later use, but I decided to use the whole orange instead…
Because I remember seeing a post somewhere with some chai tea and a whole dried orange slice added in for some fun flavor… I saved and filed that in the back of my mind.
So glad I did!
Now I have almost 3 gallons of dried orange chips. I’ve already enjoyed several slices in my Rooibos tea and the girls love nibbling on them… they are actually a yummy snack!
Thinking these sunshines would be great to break up and mix into some trail mix or oatmeal. Hmm!
You can use any kind of citrus fruit you have… I had some lemons (didn’t get very much this year, sad!) and made a quart of dried lemon chips. Haven’t tried using them yet. I am dehydrated some grapefruit right now and have plans to use them for a homemade cleaner.
It is super easy…
Simply wash ’em, slice ’em (about a quarter-inch thick), seed ’em and laid ’em on sheets.
Slide them in or sack them on your dehydrator of choice and turn on to 115 – 135 degrees (I prefer the lower temps to preserve the natural oils). Dry them for 5 – 12 hours… they need to be brittle. Store them in airtight jars and out of light.
What to Do With Them?
- Add some slices in a container of water or tea and leave in the fridge. The oranges will leave a nice flavor in the water. So refreshing!
- Add a slice to your favorite tea. The longer you leave it, the stronger the flavor and it will not turn bitter.
- Chop it up and create your own tea mixes. I already have some ideas!
- Chop it up and use it to flavor dishes or simply garnish your salad. I’m thinking…
- Throw some in your blender or coffee grinder and make some powder.
- Use for decorating and get some color into your home! Check out what I posted on my board at Pinterest.
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these look delicious! thanks for posting and btw, I love the photography
I seriously need a dehydrator. I’ll have to keep checking Craigslist. I have a technical blogspot question – how did you add the “Pin It” option?
They have a good basic one at walmart for like 50. No temperature control, but it good to get you started. The next step up which does have temp control and a timer is like 80. I got mine about two months ago (the 50 one) and I’ve already done a lot.
Thank you for sharing, Rebecca! I just recently bought a pretty basic one, but with temperature control on Amazon for a great price. You should look around during Black Friday!
The basic dehydrator at Wal mart is about 40-50 bucks . I just bought the same brand but with a timer/temp control and a few more trays on Amazon for $60. It’s my first dehydrator and I’m loving it so far I’ve been running it nonstop all weekend lol.
I found one at my thrift store.
Many people may not have known all of the ways you can use dehydrated citrus fruit. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
emtea6 – thank you and my pleasure!
Jamie – yes, a dehydrator is essential in my kitchen! With the “Pin It” button… you go to the pinterest site and hover over ‘About’ and click on ‘Pin It Button’. It will explain. I just simply copy and paste the HTML at the top of my post.
England Furniture – My pleasure! I didn’t know either and I am thrilled with my discovery. I will be posting more ideas soon!
These look so BEAUTIFUL! I love the way the dehydrated oranges are so shiny and sweet. Gorgeous, really attractive – fantastic idea.
I love this idea and the photos are simply inspiring. Great job!
I’d be honored if you’d share this post on our new weekly link up — Friday Food Flicks — Amanda
Rebekah – thank you! yes, the oranges look simply gorgeous! Great decorations too ;o)
Amanda- Thank you! I will head over and check out your weekly link up. Thank you for stopping by and inviting me.
just gorgeous photos. your kids are adorable!! these look so easy and delicious and healthy. will have to try them!
http://www.the5to9cook.com/
Thank you Lannie! I love the those slices of sunshine! Hope you will do it… so easy and yummy.
I would love for you to come share this post on my link-up, Make-ahead Mondays, at Raising Isabella!
http://naturalparentingunnaturalworld.blogspot.com/2012/02/make-ahead-monday-6.html
Hope to see you there!
Oranges are one of my favorite fruits!! I loved this post and am going to try to dehydrate some and see how they turn out. Thanks for the ideas!!
Sarah – thanks! Will check it out :o)
Diana – Sweet… well, all the more reason you should come and visit me! I can send you all the oranges you want ;o) Let me know what you think. They turned out fantastic for me. I am addicted to it… LOVE LOVE it with my Rooibos tea. Yummm!
So, this may be a silly question, but…do you eat the peels of the chips? or just the “meat” out of the middles?
Maggie – this is a great question! Yes, you do eat the peels if you want. My oldest likes to eat all of it, while my middle prefers just the meat part. I like the whole thing :o) It has a wonderful complex mix of bitter, sweet & sour. Try it and see if you like it!
Thanks for sharing this post at Make-ahead Monday! I hope to see you again next week!
I’ve been following your blog for a long time, and I love hearing about your real food journeys in a foreign country!
Sarah @ Raising Isabella
http://naturalparentingunnaturalworld.blogspot.com
Marillyn, Is there a brand of dehydrator that you would recommend? And about how much should I spend? It’s just my husband and I and our 5 dogs.
What features should I look for in a good dehydrator?
Love your blogs and PinIts.
Sandy Keefe
Leighway – I use a excalibur and LOVE it. It has been very consistent for me while others often gave me uneven results when drying. Here’s a couple links you can check out:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I6MXZG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jusmaknoi-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000I6MXZG
Or here’s a smaller one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P2FUZC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jusmaknoi-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001P2FUZC
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along.I’m impressed. You’re truly well informed and very intelligent. You wrote something that people could understand and made the subject intriguing for everyone. I’m saving this for future use.<a href='”http://www.cantrio.ca/”>Kitchen sinks</a>
can i use the oven for these? thank you
You can try, if you keep it at the lowest setting! You should also keep your oven door cracked if you can keep the temp inside below 150 degrees. Also, check on it often and rotate the trays to prevent one side from getting browned.
You should remove the orange slices as they dry. Some will dry faster than others, so be ready to have a jar or bag nearby to put them in when they are dried.
Let me know how it works!
Can you eat the whole slice?? Peel included?? My kids want me to dehydrate oranges but I don’t know how. All the pics seem to have the peel….
Hello Jenn,
It very easy! As explained above… Just slice them up (leaving peels intact and yes you can eat them if you want!), lay them out on the dehydrator to dry for 5-12 hours. They will need to be brittle when done. I like to keep the temps on my dehydrator below 135 to preserve the oils as much as possible. Enjoy!
Hi Marilyn, I “just” came across your site today looking for different recipes for dehydrating foods. Question: Is it possible to peel the oranges first and just use the meat part to dehydrate? I want to use the peels for something else. Thanks for your hard work!! You are appreciated.
Hello Edwina!
Yes, you can peel the oranges and just dry the peels. I have done that as well and grind it into powder to use for baking. Thank you for your compliments!
Looks amazing.. i’ve just bought a dehydrator but i’m not sure the timing you say between 5-12 hours what do you recommend me? i dont want to screw it up thanks 🙂
Hello! Thank you 🙂
Basically you need to check on them after 5 hours and from there check on them hourly. They need to be brittle and completely dried or else they will mold once stored in a jar. You won’t screw it up 😉
I don’t have a dehydrator how can I make them
You can dry them in your oven at the lowest temperature, but will need to check it often to remove it from the oven to not over dry it.
Hi everyone. If you look at places that sell hunting supplies like Academy or even Wal-Mart you will find good deals on dehydratorss at the end of hunting season. That’s how I got my two. Never thought to do citrus. Gonna try it soon. Satsumas, mandarins, and lemons are full this year. Thanks.
Thank you for sharing your tip!! 🙂
I love dehydrating lemons and other citrus! I tried persimmons this year and my family loves them. Same method as citrus. Thanks for your ideas for usage!
Hi, i was wondering if you could tell me what the meat of the dried orange should feel like when done? Is it supposed to feel crispy or is it supposed to feel a a little rubbery etc… I have a batch in the dehydrator now but im not sure if their done or need to stay in longer. Thank you
Hi Emily! They are supposed to be crispy, crunchy like.
I use the powder on baked chicken, and what a win! Better than lemon chicken!
Awesome!! You can totally use the powder to make orange chicken. YUM!
Hi!
I recently bought some Orange crisp crackers because i had never seen them before (i started working at a cheese and novelty shop). They were Amazing, so i googled how to make them myself and found your post here!
I wanted to share with you that the item i bought was basically what you have created, but sliced very thin (probably 1/8″) and marketed as crackers! They were great with some brie and with goat cheese if you eat cheese. The package suggest to dip half in melted chocolate, sprinkle with salt which would be tasty as well.
I see some people are asking about eating the rind… orange rind is totally edible people! And Dried in this form it is much more palatable, i enjoy the meatiness if the cracker edge.
Thank you for posting this, now i can make some at home! ♡♡♡ and they are SO Pretty!
Thanks for another great idea for my dehydrators. I use mine a lot, as a matter I’ve worn out one but fortunately I get the same brand so the trays fit the new one so I have 2 now with 10 trays each.
I use them a lot. jerky, herbs and parmesan zucchini or tomato chips are unbelievable.
great healthy snakes!
Cant wait to try the oranges and lemons
What a great idea….and I LOVE your images.
I’ll definitely get these going today.
I don’t see any share buttons. Am I just not seeing them?
Thanks.
Thank you Elaine! Appreciate your compliment! I didn’t realize that the share buttons aren’t on my posts! Thank you for letting me know. Will work on fixing that! Thank you!
this is really nice to read..informative post is very good to read..thanks a lot!