Florida Orange Peel

Heady with the juicy smell of citrus and sunshine, our Florida Orange Peel makes it easy to add the tantalizing taste of oranges to your favorite dishes. Also called the zest, orange peel—the porous, brightly colored part of the orange casing—is packed with flavor. Containing approximately 2.5% volatile oils by weight when fresh, these flavor-driving chemical compounds concentrate during the dehydration process, upping the potency and making it extra-orangey. The concentrated oils even change the way the zest feels in your mouth; while fresh zest is light and springy, our dried Florida Orange Peel feels lush, with surprising heft.

Citrus and Florida go hand in hand, but this was not always the case. The first orange trees were brought over by Spanish explorers, and were not planted in Florida until some time in the 1500s. The Spanish were never able to establish a long-standing colony in Florida; they left, but the trees remained, and started to grow wild. In the 1800s, oranges had become abundant and farmers in Florida turned them into a commodity but since picked oranges were most often transported by wagon or barge, spoilage during long shipping periods was a problem. By the 1870s, though, railroads were established along the east coast which provided higher-speed transport from Florida to the northern markets, and northerners were happy to eat these sweet-tart treats. The Florida orange industry survived a series of devastating freezes in 1894-1895 that saw its production drop from millions of crates shipped per year to just 175,000. Oranges are now the second-most consumed fruit in the US, coming in only behind apples.

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Florida Orange Peel is a great way to add fruit flavor to sweet and savory food. Add this as a secret ingredient in cherry pie filling for a surprising hint of tang. Stir into pound cake. Make homemade cranberry sauce with orange peel, or turn it savory and make homemade cranberry-orange chutney. Add to pancakes. Add to mulled wine. Make a savory fruit salsa with Florida Orange Peel and papaya. Add a citrus boost to green beans almondine. Make a rub with rosemary and use it on beef, pork, or duck. Stir zest into tabbouleh salad. Make a sauce for browned tempeh with orange peel and soy sauce. If you are a home-brewer this will be wonderful to flavor witbier or saison.

To rehydrate Florida Orange Peel, add three parts of water to everyone one part peel and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

This product may contain up to 2.5% pith.

Our Florida Orange Peel is cultivated in the United States.

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