Grapefruit Peel

Grapefruit is enjoyed as a summertime snack that is packed with a myriad of fringe benefits. Its paradoxical flavor has everyone wrapped around its pinky fingers, characterized by the sweet and sour taste that leaves the whisper of bitterness.  

Grapefruits grow on evergreen trees that can be 15 to 50 ft. tall. Its dark green glossy leaves are quite long. Along with a dense population of foliage, the tree bears big white flowers that sit in a fashion of four-petals.

Grapefruit is thought to originate from Jamaican Islands and was historically called shaddock. This citrus fruit offers a fantastic peel that is of immense importance in the culinary, industrial, and medicinal world. The peel is rich in pectin that is used as a gelling agent for making jams, jellies, and fruit-based candies. Pectin is also human gut-friendly as it absorbs an excessive amount of water and help in ceasing severe diarrhea.

Also, the peel that people usually discard is extremely powerful at lowering bad cholesterol levels and ameliorates the lipid profile. Oftentimes, the grapefruit peel is extracted to make essential oils for incorporating them in scrubs, lotions, and aromatherapy.

Grapefruit peel does a commendable job at bolstering the weakened immunity that fervently reflects in the form of healthy skin. It helps with kidney problems too by acting as a diuretic.

Grapefruit plants can be started in spring or fall, but the one planted in spring does not have to bear the harsh winters like that of fall ones. They can be grown both indoors and outdoors. The outdoor species produces big fruits whereas the indoor one seems to give small fruits. No matter how much care is taken, the plant has to be brought indoors upon the advent of winters.

Grapefruit seeds or cuttings with root balls require highly rich and fertile soil that is packed with a good fertilizer. They prefer sunny spot and deep watering habits to ensure sprouting.

Grapefruit seeds take two to six weeks to sprout upon receiving favorable conditions. The plant then takes it time to grow into a tree and during its second year of growth, it produces big white flowers. Some grapefruit plants take even ten to fifteen years to kick-start flowering, so it totally depends on the environment provided to it.

The flowers ring the sirens for pollination by attending happily to the pollinating insects. The flowers then undergo post-fertilization changes to become heavy citrus fruits that bear big seeds.

These seeds are dispersed by animals in the wild or by humans in their respective gardens to restart the lifecycle of grapefruit.

Grapefruit is ready to be harvested when it is ripe. The best judge of ripeness is the color which must give hues of yellow and pink. If it turns red, then it’s an indicator of fully ripened and sweet yield.

Grapefruit is harvested usually by gently squeezing them and tugging downwards.

Grapefruit peel is cut down into thin slices and spread on the baking sheet to be dried in the oven. It takes at least 3 hours on the lowest setting to avoid any damage and ensure its perfect curly dried output.

Grapefruit is an evergreen hybrid that is a favorite among the masses for its unique energetics and medicinal benefits.

• Tincture - Infuse dried grapefruit peel slices in grain alcohol for 4 to 6 weeks. Strain the liquid and place it in a dark and dry place.
• Tea - Just a teaspoon of dried grapefruit peel performs amazing magic to a cup of hot water if left for 10 to 20 minutes.
• Decoction - A handful of fresh grapefruit peel is decocted for 3 to 4 hours to form a decoction.
• Salve - Grapefruit peel infused oil is used with melted beeswax to make a salve.
• Syrup - Grapefruit peel is allowed to simmer with sugar syrup until the consistency thickens a bit to yield the syrup.
• Infused oil - Grapefruit peel is settled with olive oil, jojoba oil, or coconut oil for 2 to 3 weeks on a sunny windowsill in a sterilized glass bottle to formulate an infused oil.