5 Creative Ways to Use Mandarins

There is something extra special about winter fruit.  I don’t think it’s any accident that citrus ripens around January.  The bright , cheery smell and taste of citrus Its just the pick me up we need in the cold and dark days of winter.  They are high in vitamin C and rich in antioxidants, soluble and insoluble fiber and may even reduce your risk of kidney stones.  

We have a little mandarin tree that pumps out 100s of these tasty orange balls every winter and as much as I love to eat them, I never know what to do with all of the extras. 

Since I started studying herbalism, I’ve learned to use the things that grow around me in new and creative ways  I decided to take a closer look at the mandarin and find some fun and beneficial ways to incorporate more of them into my life.

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Squeeze some mandarin juice into your tea

1. Mandarin Orange Tea- this one is so simple and good.  Just juice your mandarin and add to a cup of tea- I like herbal tea but it would be great with some green tea, too.  It gives it a fresh citrus taste and you won’t need any extra sweetener.

2. DIY Natural Cleaner

• Collect peels from 4 or 5 mandarins and place in a glass container- I just use a mason jar.

• Pour white vinegar over until peels are submerged. It’s a good idea to either use a plastic lid or put a barrier of wax paper between the metal lid and the solution, as the vinegar will eventually rust the metal.  

• Close container tightly, place in dark area for 2 – 4 weeks

• Strain out the peels into a clean glass spray bottle and dilute with water

• Your cleaning solution is now ready to use

**Note: Do not use cleansing solution on granite and marble surfaces

3. Mandarin and Doug Fir Bitters- I recently made this one for the first time. It’s so delicious!!  You can use it medicinally or as an ingredient in your mocktail or cocktail. Bitters are great for supporting healthy digestion.

INGREDIENTS

• 30 grams or 1/2 cup fresh Douglas fir needles

• 30 grams or 1/4 cup dried roasted dandelion root

• 5 mandarins sliced up (peels included)

• 1 gram or 1 teaspoon dried gentian root ( I used Olive Leaf)

• 1/4 cup honey

• vodka or brandy

PROCESS

1. Put the herbs and fruit into in a 1.5 L jar.

2. Add honey to taste.

3. Fill the jar with the vodka or brandy. Stir well. Cover with a lid. Label. Shake this

   1 to 2 times per day.

4. Taste this daily. When the flavors have infused to your liking, strain off the herbs,

   reserving the alcohol.

5. Store in a dark bottle or dark location. Use within a year.

   ***recipe credit Rosalee de la Foret

Mandarin Shrub

4. Mandarin Shrub

I love shrubs. They are sweet and sour and the vinegar extracts so much goodness and minerals from the ingredients. Here’s one I recently made. Did you catch my Instagram reel about making this shrub?? Scroll to the bottom to watch or Make the shrub here

5.  Mandarin Body Scrub I love this one because it smells delicious and is so easy to make!

Mandarin Body Scrub

🍊🍊🍊And for a bonus mandarin use, green mandarin essential oil is super delicious added to your daily water. All citrus oils are cold pressed from the rind, which makes them extra bright and aromatic. It’s a great way to get a gentle daily detox. and brighten your mood.

I hope you’ll give one or more of these a try. Let me know how it goes! I hope it brings some sunshine to your day.