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Katie T’s Cottage Home Fun Fact #29

Fun fact time! This is a new section I’m including on my blog posts so my readers can get to know me on a personal level!

So, for my 29th fun fact, I want to share that I am going camping this weekend! 

Every year, my family has a campout at my parent’s house. Between swimming in the lake across the street, eating good food, and seeing family and friends! We always have a great time!

So now, let’s jump into how to use a lemon for zero waste in the kitchen!

Lemon Juice for Baking and Cooking

There are so many recipes that call for lemon juice! Besides the traditional lemon blueberry muffins, like the ones I made, there are countless recipes to add lemon juice to!

This has everything to do with food science. Adding lemon, an acidic food, enhances the flavors of the dish. 

This is true for cooking with fish, condiments such as mayo, or tenderizing meats such as chicken. Building on that, adding lemon juice to a marinade is a great way to tenderize meat.

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Lemon juice, like vinegar, is an acid that helps break down the meat protein fibers. Just be mindful of the other ingredients you mix with the marinade.

If it’s dairy-based, adding an acid will curdle the cream. 

Another thing to keep in mind if you are water bath canning is that lemon juice is often used in recipes to prevent bacterial growth that causes botulism.

This is because water bath (vs. pressure canning) requires a specific pH to do it safely. Also note that in this case, it is recommended to use bottled lemon juice from the store.

Each bottle has a standard acidity level, and when it comes to canning, you want to be precise to be sure you aren’t allowing the food to grow any unwanted bacteria.

Lemon Simple Syrup

The second thing you can do with lemon peels for zero waste in the kitchen is to boil them in water and sugar to make simple syrup!

This can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen to make drinks down the road.

I enjoy adding simple syrup to my cocktails, but you can also make regular lemonade. 

As far as a recipe goes, all you need is:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup of water
• About 3-4 lemon peels cut into small pieces

Bring all ingredients to a boil and let it simmer on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it steep for an additional 30 min.

Once steeping is complete, you can strain the liquid from the peels. But don’t throw them away (see next section for how to use them!!) 

I’ve also used this process to make orange and lavender simple syrup (separately, of course).

So if you feel like experimenting, think 1 part water and 1 part sugar and add the produce of choice. Simmer, then let steep. And bam, you have a simple syrup!!

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Lemon Peel Candies

Next up on using lemons for zero waste in the kitchen is candy the peels! Yes, that’s right, you heard me! And this is the next step after making the simple syrup.

They taste like gummy worms if you ask me!

Instructions are as follows.

Once you’ve removed the peels from the liquid, set aside to dry. You may need to take a napkin and pat it. The big part here is to make sure they are dry so the sugar doesn’t get them soggy.

So, once the peels are dry, add them to a bowl of sugar and toss them around with a fork. Once completely coated with sugar, set aside.

You have just made yourself lemon peel candies! 

A couple of things to note here. Before making the simple syrup, try to cut off the white parts of the peel.

It doesn’t make a huge difference in taste but does leave a slightly bitter taste in the gummies. If you skip this step, don’t worry. I have done so with oranges, and I find it doesn’t make a huge difference.

Also, when you coat the peels with sugar, I’d let them sit out for a bit.

If the peels don’t get soggy by the sugar, then you must be a natural because I can’t seem to get mine to dry enough the first time around.

The solution, if this happens to you, is to dry your lemon peels again and repeat the process. 

Freshly Squeezed Lemonade

Next up on how to use lemons for zero waste in the kitchen is to freshly squeeze the lemons to make lemonade! 

I find the most efficient way to make lemonade is to put about half a peeled lemon with about 4 cups of water in a blender (add some other fruit, like strawberries, at this time if you want to add flavor). 

Once completely blended, strain it into a pitcher using a cheesecloth. I usually place my cheesecloth over a small strainer and pour the liquid.

Once it’s poured, I pick up the cheesecloth by the edges and apply pressure to separate the liquid from the pulp. 

At this point, you can add sugar and additional water to match your liking. I’ve also added honey as a sugar replacement for a more nutritious drink! 

The nice thing about adding strawberries to the lemonade is it’s a natural sweetener. Plus, the frothy top makes the drink taste fresh!

Lemon Zest

The fifth use of lemons for zero waste in the kitchen is to use it for lemon zest! 

This is perfect to top dishes with, like my blueberry muffins. You can also add them to salad dressings or cooked dishes. 

I’ve also added lemon zest to homemade soap bars before. There are conflicting opinions due to the nature of the fruit zest and spoiling the soap. I didn’t seem to have a problem when I did it, however, if you’re making soap and it’s hot and humid weather, I can see how that may increase the chances of the soap going bad.

I plan on making a soap post soon and will update this section with a link.

In it, I’ll experiment and see if I can dehydrate the zest to create a better alternative. In the meantime, check out my post on the 7 items to include in your vanity bathroom tray. In it I make a homemade liquid soap!

Lemon Peel Cleaner

The 6th use of lemons for zero waste in the kitchen is to make a cleaner with them! This is such a simple process!

All you need is vinegar, water, and lemon peels!

I don’t like my vinegar solution to smell like vinegar (I know it sounds silly), so I mixed 1 part water and 1 part vinegar with the lemon peels and let it sit for a couple of weeks. After it sat, I strained the lemon peels from the liquid and topped it with more water. 

Just don’t do what I did and stuff the lemon peels in a glass bottle like this! I then had to remove the peels from the bottle, which was a slight pain. 

So, if you do it, put it in a bottle that you can easily strain the water out of after. 

And also, as promised, here is a link to a free vinegar solution label! I printed mine on waterproof adhesive paper. It still looks good a couple of years later! 

Dried Lemon Peels and Powder

The last use of lemons for zero waste in the kitchen is to dry them for later use! 

I dehydrated the remaining parts of my strawberry lemonade that I made earlier and then blended it to make a powder. I wanted to see if I could reconstitute it to make a lemonade powder, and let’s just say that it did not taste well at all! 

In hindsight, it makes sense. You remove the pulp, dry it to make a powder, only to reconstitute it in water, and now you have pulp water.

Whomp.

But I’m not going to give up on it! I’m thinking I can add it to vanilla ice cream, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on what I should test it with! Drop it in the comments!

But, you can dehydrate lemon peels and put them in hot water to make lemon tea! 

Lately, I’ve been making lemon lavender tea with a latte twist. All you need is:

• Dried lemon peels
• Dried lavender buds
• 1 tsp of burdock root
• Splash of vanilla extract
• 1 tsp of honey
• About a ¼ cup of milk

Let the lemon, lavender, and burdock roots steep in hot water. Then add the milk, vanilla, and honey and blend it with an immersion blender until the milk has become frothy (definitely do this step in a larger container so you don’t spill everywhere).

Then pour the tea into your mug, and voila! You have a beautifully crafted lemon lavender tea with a latte twist! Top with lavender buds as seen fit.

Zero Waste in the Kitchen: 7 Clever Ways to Use Extra Lemons for Sustainable Living

There you have it! The 7 uses of lemons for zero waste in the kitchen! I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! Don’t forget to comment below and share this post with others! 

Love,

Katie

The post Zero Waste in the Kitchen: 7 Clever Ways to Use Extra Lemons for Sustainable Living first appeared on Katie T's Home.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

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I also ask that you please leave your thoughts in the comment section below. I’m always trying to produce helpful content for my readers, and without knowing what you think, it’s hard to know what you find helpful/not helpful. So please leave your thoughts below!!  

Katie T’s Cottage Home Fun Fact #31

For my 31st fun fact, I want to share that I have a new favorite shopping store, Azure Standard! 

If you can be flexible in your schedule, I highly recommend ordering from Azure Standard. They have wheat berries and dry goods that are significantly cheaper than a traditional grocery store.

The only catch is that you have to meet at the dropoff location, and you never know the exact date and time until the week before. So again, flexibility is a must.

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So now, let’s jump into the ministry of homemaking and the 5 prioritizing skills every Christian woman needs to know. Check out my bundle deal to help overcome the common prioritizing struggles!!

Start with Prayer

It’s not a ministry of homemaking if God isn’t the priority. Without him, we can do nothing. 

This is why it’s so important to start your day with prayer. 

Not only does this bring a clear mindset, but it will help you accomplish far more than you could ever imagine. And I’m saying this from personal experience. 

When I prioritized God in the busiest moments of my life, things just unexplainably fell into place. 

And not only that, but things that once seemed important became irrelevant after spending time with God. And I think that’s part of what it is to be human. We get so wrapped up in trivial things that we forget the important stuff. But if we put God at #1, we’ll subconsciously prioritize what matters in life without thinking about it. 

One of the easiest ways to do this is to ask. Ask God to direct your steps for the day. Pray that he will be with you and KNOW that the holy spirit is in our hearts, guiding our way. 

If you’re struggling with knowing how to fit God into your morning routine, I have a full guide on how to do so in the article above. 

Be Realistic with the Time You Need

Being realistic about how long it takes to complete a task is the second skill in your ministry of homemaking. After all, we only have 24 hours in a day.

I struggle SO hard with this one at times. Unfortunately, I never give myself enough time to complete a task. And at the end of the day, this only leaves me feeling stressed and frustrated because I can’t check off all the things on my list to do. 

For example, last year, I went peach picking with a friend. I wanted to preserve and make a ton of peach desserts to freeze, so I opted for the large tray and picked a ton of peaches.

The farmer warned me that peaches don’t have a long shelf life. I told myself, “nah, I have time”. 

As you can imagine, I threw away a ton of peaches because I didn’t have enough time to get through them all. I was also anxious about finding the time to finish what I had set out to do.

So, be realistic with the time you have. Also, don’t be afraid of cutting back.

Sometimes, less is more. And I think simple living should be encouraged more than it is.

If you struggle with answering the call to a slow-living lifestyle, you’re just in luck! Check out the article above for a detailed guide on how to answer the call for a simple life. 

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Listen to Your Body- Don’t Force It

Next up in the 5 prioritizing skills for the ministry of homemaking is to listen to your body and not force getting things done.

Now, I’m not saying don’t ever do the dishes because you don’t feel like it. I am saying to listen to your body and what it’s trying to tell you.

If your homemaking routine starts with dishes and then laundry to follow, switch it up. If you feel like doing laundry more, then do that first.

Don’t feel like you have to keep a rigid schedule. 

Part of what makes homemakers essential in a household is the flexibility. If you go out of your way to be flexible for everyone else and not yourself, then you’re doing it wrong. 

Everyone is in a different season of life. You are in a different season of life than 5 years ago. So, tasks may take longer to accomplish because of external factors such as kids, a new home, anxiety or depression, or even a full or part-time job. 

If your body is telling you it doesn’t feel like doing dishes at that specific moment, wait a bit. It could be God’s whisper to delay that chore.

For example, my husband does the vacuuming (yes, he likes it, and yes, he is slightly OCD). But if he vacuums the kitchen before I make dinner, he runs the risk of having to do it again because I dropped cauliflower bits all over the floor when I was cutting it up. 

Sometimes, waiting is the best thing you can do. And if you’re body is sending you signals to put it off, it might be worth listening to.

Again, if you’re trying to discern, give it to God. Pray about it. Give it a minute and feel the way he is directing your steps. 

Take Part in Finacial Matters

The 4th skill out of the 5 for the ministry of homemaking prioritization tips is to be involved and intentional in financial matters.

When it comes to homemaking, this isn’t talked about.

And I think it’s so sad. Many traditional homemaking tips don’t discuss finances. They assume the husband who provides the income should be in charge of financial matters, but I think this way of thinking lacks balance.

Your husband might make the money, but it’s your job to leverage it. So, both parties need to be involved. 

And why wouldn’t you want that? If time equals money, and the husband provides the money, don’t you think you would want to make that dollar stretch? Knowing that taking part in financial matters and doing what you can will only increase the value of his time.

It means cooking certain meals over others because it feeds a large family. Or having a zero-waste mentality in the kitchen and utilizing every part of the food. 

It means learning the art of saving money so you can invest in important things.

Or even learning what constitutes as a frivolous item and how to stop buying such things that hold you down financially. 

Either way, taking part in financial matters plays a big role in homemaking.

Know Your Love Language

Last but not least, in prioritization skills you need to know in the ministry of homemaking is knowing your love language. 

This skill is not talked about nearly enough!

Because the reality is, if you know your love language and can fulfill it in your homemaker role, then you will find so much PURPOSE.

But if you don’t know your love language to prioritize it, then your responsibilities as a homemaker will get old real quick.

Take, for example, the love language of quality time. 

That is my top love language, so I make sure I spend time with the people in my inner circle. 

Whether it be quality time with my husband or hosting a ladies’ paint-and-sip night like in the article above. Spending time with others is how I feel the most loved. And this love trickles into my work as a homemaker. 

So, learn your love language and prioritize it in your daily schedule.  

Ministry of Homemaking: 5 Prioritizing Skills Every Christian Woman Needs to Know

So there you have it! The ministry of homemaking prioritization skills that every woman needs to know! I hope you enjoyed reading about this and got some handy skills to have in your back pocket. Comment below on your favorite homemaking skill or even the one you struggle with the most. Until next time!

Love,

Katie T 

The post Ministry of Homemaking: 5 Prioritizing Skills Every Christian Woman Needs to Know first appeared on Katie T's Home.