Vitamin C powder *Extra credit

Vitamins can be a tricky thing. The problem is you don't really know what is in the pills you are popping and while I am not a conspiracy theorist, I do know that vitamin companies are not making pills because they love your family.  They are making vitamins to provide money for their own and they are going to source the cheapest resources available.  I hate to cut them out of a sale but when it comes to nutrition we can provide our own.

Vitamin C is essential to our health and it is found in so many sources.  There are a few that it tends to be concentrated in.  Rose hips, Highbush Cranberries, Seaberries, and citrus peels.

Throughout the year, I think we will cover all of these but today we will make Vitamin C powder from citrus peels.

First, we need to get our hands on organic citrus.  Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit or a combination of them would be great.  I believe if you have to buy food it is best to make it organic.  I am also a realist and have raised six children... you can't always afford organic. Here, however, organic is necessary because we are dealing with the peels and the peels receive the majority of the spray in a conventional orchard.

As your family eats the fruit save back the peels and toss them in that handy solar dehydrator (that you have an envelope started for, right?)  Until you get it you can place them on cookie racks but it's going to take up a lot of counter space.

Check the peels daily and when they are good and hard drop them in your blender a few at a time.

grind until it is a fine powder.  Store in the freezer.

1 tsp provides your daily need for vitamin C.  Sprinkle it over your coffee in the morning. add it to your cereal or smoothie.  Soups, stews, be creative.  You can even pack it into glycerin soft gels if you feel you are missing something by not popping a pill.

this batch is waiting to be added to my elderberry elixir.


Wow,  we just made health food out of trash.... how did we ever let corporations convince us that we needed them?