Tasty Tidbits From Things You’d Typically Toss

A chicken carcass simmered in a large pot of vegetable laden water is a common soup base in many a frugal kitchen. Then there’s the infamous leftover casserole. But here are four less common, even giftable food items, prepared from peels and seeds you’d normally dump.

For candied orange rind start with about four thick skinned oranges. Score the surface into quarters through the white, and peel from the fruit. Slice the rind lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips. Place them in a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Drain. Repeat. Drain and repeat again. (This removes bitterness.) Dissolve 4 ½ cups of sugar in 1½ cups of water over low heat. Add peels to the sugar syrup and simmer on a low heat until the rinds become translucent, about 45 minutes. As they float to the top gently push them under with your spoon. Let them sit in the syrup overnight. Heat through again in the morning and drain the peels. (Keep the syrup for use in iced or hot tea. Yummy.) Carefully coat individual peels in more granulated sugar and dry on a cookie cooling rack overnight. Done right, these have a gum drop like consistency with a hint of zing. In our house they don’t last a day.

Toasted seeds begin with a squash, like butternut, or pumpkin. Remove the seeds, rinse and separate them from the pulpy middles. Toss the pulp. Drain the seeds. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Drop the still damp seeds, single layer, into a lightly greased pan. Sprinkle the seeds with salt, garlic powder, and paprika. Or for those who like bit more kick, chili powder. Toast for about fifteen minutes until lightly brown. Let cool a tad, and munch away.

My Mom introduced me to pickled watermelon rind as a kid. Now I make them regularly. Start with the rind, scrape off most of the pink, and remove the green skin. Cut the prepared white rind into ½ inch cubes and measure about a quarts’ worth. Dissolve ½ cup salt in 5 cups of water, add the rind, and let sit overnight with a dish on top to keep the rind submerged. Drain. Rinse well. Cover with fresh water and boil until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and put back into the pot. Combine 5 1/3 cup sugar, 2 ½ cups water, and 2 ½ cups white vinegar in a large non-aluminum pot. Tie 2 cinnamon sticks, and 4 teaspoons whole cloves in a cheesecloth bag. Drop the spice bag into the vinegar sugar mix, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the rind to the liquid and let sit overnight with the spices. (Putting a dish on top.) Bring to a boil again and simmer until the rind becomes almost transparent. Remove the spice bag. Transfer the rinds into clean, hot jars with a slotted spoon, packing tightly, and pour the hot syrup over them, leaving about ½ inch head space. Cover and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Wait three weeks before using. These are lovely served along side salty and pungent foods like cheddar cheese or ham.

Lastly, a new addition to my frugal repertoire, apple peel jelly. Take the cores and peels from about 15 apples (4 cups tightly packed). Put them in a large pot and cover with 6 cups of water. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Drain the juice through a cheesecloth lined colander into a bowl. (I use the low sugar pectin, but if you make the real thing follow the recipe for apple jelly on the package.) Measure 6 cups of juice. If you find it’s not enough, don’t squeeze the peelings, but do a second boiling of the peels in an additional cup or so of water. Once you have 6 cups, put the juice into a pot. Take the box of low sugar pectin and mix it with 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Add the pectin mix to the juice and whisk it in. Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. (You’re stirring constantly.) Add 3 3/4 cup sugar and return to boil. Let it boil hard for one minute. Pour the jelly into hot glass jars, leaving about 1/8 inch head space, wipe the rims, and screw on prepared lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Or turn the lidded jars upside down on a towel. Let cool undisturbed for 24 hours. Test for a seal. Refrigerate and use unsealed jars first.

So there you go, taste treats from what you’d normally toss. Bon Appetit.

99 Frugalities

Since this is the “frugal” bohemian, and not some totally heady intellectual blog, I thought it right to write up things we have done and are doing to shave expenses. Most are small but over time really add up. Squeeze those Lincolns until they scream for mercy!

(Household management)
1 reuse aluminum foil
2 wash out and reuse Ziploc bags
3 tie up soap tidbits in the foot of an old nylon stocking and use them
4 make cleaning products from vinegar or ammonia
5 use less laundry detergent than called for, or make your own
6 fill dishpan with soapy dishwater and rinse in a dishpan of clear water
7 cut rectangles from cereal box liners and use as reusable/washable microwave spatter guards
8 re-purpose plastic milk jugs for undersink storage, toilet brush holder, small toys
9 dry clothes on line
10 drain bacon on newspaper
11 use baking soda, vinegar and boiling water to clear out sink clogs
12 turn card board boxes inside out for mailing
13 use grocery bags as trash can liners
14 wash plastic utensils
15 make kitchen scrubbies out of plastic mesh onion bags
16 make rubber bands from shot rubber gloves
17 make cleaning rags from old towels and t shirts thus eliminating paper towels
18 sew up cloth napkins from scrap fabric
19 use the clean backs of junk mail ads, notes from school, etc. in computer printer
20 carefully open up junk mail envelopes, re-glue inside out and use
21 use paper scraps for notes by the phone

(Food)
22 buy bulk meats, divide and freeze in salvaged bags (frozen vegetable, produce, bread, etc,)
23 start raised beds or container gardens
24 compost pile from vegetable peelings, banana peels, shredded documents, etc.
25 forage berries, dandelion and other greens
26 can and freeze
27 cut milk with reconstituted non-fat-dry
28 use day old bread
29 use other jars for canning (mayo for regular quarts and other jars with lids for gifts)
30 make jelly from canned fruit liquids, or apple peels and cores
31 watermelon rind pickle
32 purchase foods loss leader, preferably with coupons, with rebates, and stock a pantry/freezer
33 eat beans
34 cook from scratch
35 drink water, not soda
36 use one tea bag to make a pot
37 buy from the grocery’s discount bin
38 institute a leftover soup or smorgasbord night
39 save bacon drippings in a jar in the fridge for cooking other things
40 buy cheese ends at the deli counter if cheaper
41 make homemade yoghurt
42 save bread ends to make bread crumbs
43 make bread crumb cookies
44 add bread crumbs to homemade granola before baking
45 add bread crumbs to ground beef for hamburgers, not just meatloaf
46 use a crockpot instead of stove top or oven
47 make cheap meals, get ideas from $5 Dinners and Hillbilly Housewife on line or the More With Less Cookbook
48 check the weight of already bagged produce and buy the heaviest bag
49 buy produce from road side stands or pick your own if you can find a deal
50 glean (different from foraging)
51 gratefully receive gifts of extra produce (yes, even zucchini)

(Personal care)
52 cut own hair, go longer between cuts
53 use up all the toothpaste, cutting the tube open if need be
54 soften solid deodorant tidbits in microwave and refill container with melted bits
55 use up the last bit of lipstick by mixing with Vaseline to make gloss
56 use baking soda instead of tooth paste
57 do not color grey hair
58 rinse off razor, dry, and put a thin coating of Vaseline on to prolong it’s life
59 shave after a shower, eliminating gel

(Furnishings)
60 buy used furniture from thrift stores. yard sales, auctions, even antique places
61 scrap quilt, use worn out blanket instead of batting
62 use dial up at home or use the library computers
63 eliminate cable TV
64 instead of a cell phone, use Tracphone
65 scope out freecycle and craigslist
66 buy books at library sales, thrift stores, or online used book venues
67 make curtains from flat sheets
68 decorate you home with natural found objects, like stones or shells
69 trash pick (or if you prefer call it trolling or treasure hunting)

(Occasional)
70 make Christmas gifts/shop loss leader sales/buy at thrift stores
71 barter (include trading off baby sitting)
72 buy birthday cards at Dollar Tree or thrift store
73 buy stamps online from dealer and get discounted prices
74 pick up aluminum cans off the street and cash in
75 use alternative long distance service
76 do without
77 ask for prescription samples from the doctor or from the drug company
78 don’t get pets
79 take day trip vacations
80 take up walking as exercise
81 buy used cars
82 keep the thermostat lower in winter and higher in summer
83 use the library for videos, special reading programs, interlibrary loan, and informational classes
84 take advantage of community walking trails, free events
85 eliminate subscriptions, read online, or share with friends
86 make your own fun, tree fort from scrap lumber, wild birthday parties

(Clothes)
87 wear clothes more than one day before washing (not underwear or socks though)
88 wear clothes/shoes until they’re worn out
89 mend underwear, socks, rips in clothes
90 cut down adult sized clothes to fit kids
91 re-purpose old adult t shirts as sleeping shirts for little kids
92 go barefoot
93 use shoe goo to build up worn spots on shoe heels
94 make homemade baby wipes from Bounty paper towels, shampoo, baby oil, and warm water
95 cloth diapers
96 thrift stores and yard sales
97 discount stores like Ross, Dollar General, Gabriel Brothers
98 online sales with electronic coupons
99 hand me downs or loaners

Curbside Gleaning

The fine art of trash picking is much maligned and misunderstood. As the elegant area of Germantown in Philadelphia was encroached upon by squatters and students, marvelous things appeared in the Veteran’s Thrift Store on Germantown Avenue. Tuxes of a certain vintage, 78's to be played while you slept that guaranteed health, wealth, and happiness, and even Biedermeier furniture. When older family members died off the less than perfect, quirkier pieces were unceremoniously dumped curbside. We were the beneficiaries. My father loaded his station wagon with the likes of Bentwood rockers, brass drapery weights, cast iron eagles, and solid mahogany drawing shelf units.

25 years ago, my eagle-eyed sister spotted a vintage Navajo blanket half hanging out of a dumpster and gave it to me on permanent loan as it matched my furniture colors. (She wants it back when I die.) With the advent of Antique Road Show, there has been less opportunity lately for really fantastic finds. Even so, our boys’ fort was made mostly from salvaged and freecycled materials. So here’s to trash day! Here’s to finding finds! Onward, to the quest!