Make It Yourself ~Tangy Orange Powder

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I am having too much fun taking pictures of these gorgeous orange chips and powder! The rich, sunny colors and beautiful, deep details just makes me want to keep clicking away!


Anyway...


I've already used this beautiful powder for a few things and have many more delicious plans for it! It smells like sunshine every time I open up the jar... hmm, must remember that when we have dark, rainy & cloudy days!


After dehydrating all those sunshine {orange} slices and enjoying them like chips and steeped in tea... I began to wonder if there were other ways to enjoy these yummy orange chips.


I googled around and came across this site that suggested to chop or grind the orange chips into powder, which can be used to flavor soup, fish, sauces or use has a garnish.


hmmm... interesting.


So, I threw in enough orange chips to fill my Blendtec and gave it a whirl... well, several whirls until it was powdery and smooth. It looks a little crumbly because of the natural oils from the rinds... simply wonderful!

I pour the powder into an airtight quart mason jar and kept throwing in more orange chips until I had almost 2 quarts full of tangy orange powder. And I still have about 1 1/2 gallons of orange chips to enjoy!


Ahh, lovely!

I have already used it to spice up cinnamon rolls, make drinks, give a tangy crunch to our favorite snack and more. I will {hopefully} be sharing these recipes soon!!


When you make these, make sure you store them out of direct light to protect the natural oils. They should last a long time  ;o)

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Crispy Orange Chips (a.k.a - Dehydrated Orange Slices)

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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.

Want some?

linked up at Friday Food Flicks, Simple Lives Thursday, Make-Ahead Mondays, Superfood Sunday.

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