We recently posted about making wild-fermented syrup from the grapefruit rinds left over after making grapefruit wine. Today, I tasted it again…and it’s amazing: clean citrus flavor in a slightly effervescent syrup that’s just right – sweet but not cloying. Ready for bottling!
I strained the solids out through a fairly fine mesh strainer and pressed the spent rinds to extract as much liquid as possible, which left me with two quart bottles plus a pint. I also used the spent pulp (yep, I tasted that, too), which still had a lot of grapefruit flavor left, for water kefir second ferments that will be ready to drink tomorrow. I’m going to get every iota of flavor out of those grapefruit!
So what to do with all that fermented syrup? It’s perfect for making cocktails and/or in probiotic beverages: delicious in kombucha tea and easily made into live adult cocktails by adding a splash of neutral alcohol, like white rum. Honestly, it’s tasty enough to drink right out the bottle. It’ll also save time in water kefir second ferments and will undoubtedly make a great finished beverage.
After straining the syrup, I was left with a pile of the fermented rinds, which also tasted great. I couldn’t see just composting them, so I’m going to make candied peels with them. Candied peel will make a sweet treat with a pop of bright flavor, a tasty garnish for a cocktail, or a delightful addition to baked goods. Definite yes!
To start the candied peels, I took a sharp paring knife and removed most of the pith and the pulp from the rinds. Some of the rinds were mushier than others, so the level of difficulty in executing this maneuver (without slicing a finger) varied from rind to rind. I finally ended up with a lovely container full of peels that are now ready to be candied. Look for an update on the candied peels in an upcoming blog post.
So far, from six grapefruit, I was able to make:
- A gallon and a 750 mL wine bottle (so six standard wine bottles total) of grapefruit wine
- A gallon plus a pint of fermented grapefruit syrup
- 2 liters of water kefir 2F (plus enough pulp left for several more bottles)
- Approximately a quart of peel for candied peels
I’d call that a pretty good use of the grapefruit. It can really be a lot of fun to challenge yourself to avoid food waste and make use of as much of it as you can. Get creative!
Do you have ideas for how to avoid food waste or maximize the usefulness of food? Share them in the comments!
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