Recently we moved into a new house in eco-friendly place within Dubai called The Sustainable City – green oasis in the desert without cars, powering itself and support sustainable life of happy people. I am more than sure that all of you understand how much time it takes to arrange everything. Especially that I am not only furnishing the house but also do a lot of paintings by myself. Certainly I cook all time, many delicious dishes, and sometimes I even take some pictures. So step by step I will share with you all my new recipes!
To know more what is it check the short video made by Khalid Al Ameri
https://youtu.be/UUN2zf3n42s
Today (using time while our son is busy with catboy’s house✌🏻) I would like to share some very practical tips regarding the veggies and fruits’ peels.
When we moved into a new house I discovered that the fridge has a huge freezer (taking almost half of all fridge). We don’t buy or freeze food, so for me it was a real task how to use this space.
So I decided that I would freeze the veggies and fruits’ peels I got during the cooking process. Firstly, it will reduce the quantity of food waste. You can’t even imagine how quickly the freezer is filled with the bags of peels! Secondly, I don’t need to buy any stock cubes in the shop. Thirdly, I can repeat some recipes from my childhood using peels. And finally, I use the freezer!
What we need to know about VEGGIES and FRUITS’ PEELS?
It is well known that most of veggies and fruits’ peels are edible and healthy. They give us not only energy, but also provide a lot of fiber, vitamins and minerals than the pulp. But at the same time peelings can contain the rest of pesticide, heavy metals, microorganisms and pollution. So, is it safe to use peels in our food? Yes, it is if we are following some RESPECT FOOD rules.
Rule#1
Only from proved source.
Using veggies and fruits from local ecological farms give a lot of advantages. If buying fresh produce in the shops always check if the product has eco-certificated or certified sustainable (products with eco-labels without certification that manufacturers put themselves can’t be treated as “eco”).
Rule#2
Not for early veggies.
For culinary purpose it is better not to use early seasonal vegetables from the shops. The issue is in soil fertilization used during cultivation to get produce faster. As a result the veggies are big and beautiful but contain a lot of nitrates. These compounds are transformed in the human digestive tract into nitrite, which in excess are harmful to the health.
Here is the list of veggies that collect a significant amount of nitrates:
lettuce
young cabbages
spinach
beetroots
young potatoes
radishes
carrots
parsley
celery
Rule#3
Washing is the basis.
Fo safety usage of the peels we need to remember about the proper washing the veggies and fruits.
According the scientific research “Effectiveness of Commercial and Homemade Washing Agents in Removing Pesticide Residues on and in Apples” made by the team from the University of Massachusetts (2017), the most effective way of removing pesticide from vegetables and fruits is using of THE BAKING SODA SOLUTION as it can help break apart pesticide molecules and can be used for washing other types of produce. The researchers used a concentration of about 1 tsp (teaspoon) of baking soda per 2 cups of water.It takes 12-15 minutes to completely remove thiabendazole or phosmet surface residues.
There are a lot of scientific researches are provided in this area. Some of them prove the effectiveness of vinegar solution with water (1:10) which can remove pesticides and bacterias from the product surface. Another saying that ready-made washing fluids can be usable depending on the ingredients that they contain.
Nevertheless, we always need to remember this rule: WASH, WASH, WASH!
Rule#4
Not all peelings are edible.
Please don’t try to use all fruits and vegetables peels! Some of them are neither tasty nor edible – like skin of:
avocado,
banana,
lychee,
pineapple,
papaya,
mango,
garlic,
hard pumpkin,
melon,
onion.
In contrast, edible, tasty peels with proven nutritional properties, include apple, lemon, lime, asparagus, carrot, cucumber, eggplant, grape, kiwi, parsnip, peach, pear, pea, plum, potato and zucchini peels.
Rule#5
Use the peels immediately or freeze
To ensure that the peels provide us with vitamins, minerals and other valuable ingredients, it is the best solution to eat them immediately after washing and peeling. After two days, the content of vitamins, including vitamin C, drastically decreases.
Frozen peels (once you have enough food to cook) are often used to cook a vegetable broth, compote, soups. It is safe to keep the peels in freezer:
for about 8 months if the freezer freezes at a temperature of at least -10C (during this time the content of ascorbic acid is the same as in fresh products);
