To be green or not to be green?

I must admit that the tiny, immature part of myself goes "Harumph" lately when I see yet another repetitive article of TV show that is geared towards helping me to be more "green".

We do pretty well, I think. Please don't misunderstand- I don't mind it when I learn something new. But SO much of what is out there is just the same old information about toilet paper squares, packaging, and composting.

I get it, already! I have always lived by the following:

Use it up
Wear it out
Make it do
Do without.

This goes a LONG way towards explaining the condition of my garage. You never know when you will need twine, old ribbons and a leather punch. I can think of so many ideas.....

I digress.

The following is one of my kids' favorite ways to use up fruit peels. It isn't fancy, so don't get your hopes up. It will, however, make your house smell great. I promise!

When making a fruit salad, be sure to set aside all orange, grapefruit and lemon peels. Keep apple cores, skins, and tidbits, too. Anything that has a nice smell will do. (I don't keep banana peels, as they don't smell good. They can go directly into the compost pile without passing GO.)

Throw the leftover goodies in a large pot of water on the stove. Bring the water and peels to a boil. Throw in a cinnamon stick (or some ground cinnamon), some nutmeg, a little vanilla, some cloves....you get the idea.

As soon as it is boiling, Viola! Your house will smell great! A nice, spicy clean citrus-y smell. My daughter says it "Smells like Fall."

I like to put the hot pot in front of the floor fan; that really disperses the fragrance well.

Once the peels cool, you can strain them out and put them in the compost pile, too. They will be pretty mushy, squooshy, though.

There you have it. Nothing earth shattering. Just a little fun tip that may be new to you that uses something that would normally pass into the trash can without a second thought.

Until next time, happy brewing!

Theresa