# what have you done with potato peels?



## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

I was looking on the web and it seems some people have used them to highlight gray hair, and there's debate on whether it's good for chicken feed or not, and then what seemed an obvious use right from the beginning... compost.

but I dont have a compost pile and not much interest in starting one until I move so I dont have to toss or try and move what I have.

I'm thinking about dehydrating them and grinding them into dry powdery dust like I learned about with banana peels, and I'll just store them dehydrated and blended.

Any thoughts?


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

Interesting, only thought they were good for compost or hog slop. 

Chickens? I haven't tried feeding mine skins because I usually compost them so....

I shall be watching this thread.....


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## PrepN4Good (Dec 23, 2011)

Same here, I only compost 'em.


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

Well for one, I do not have potato peels, I eat them with the rest of the potato.

As for other things, potato make a really good cleaner. You can even remove light rust with a potato slice.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

I put my potato peels out for the Javelina.


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## siletz (Aug 23, 2011)

Ours get fed to the Guinea Hogs, so don't have any left over. But I think you can throw them in a worm farm if you had one under your sink or such. Then, it could move with you.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

We eat the potato peels also, either as part of whatever cooking process or fry them up separate as potato chips. Seems weird to me to throw them out; some throw out celery leaves, we eat those too.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

I thought the white part was the cobb . I've been throwing that part away !


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## IlliniWarrior (Nov 30, 2010)

squirrels will eat them also ....


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

I just peeled them because the recipe in the ball book specified it, and I haven't canned beef-veggie stew before so I don't know what the peels would do to color in the jars, taste & texture etc... 

for making home made mashed potatoes, breakfast taters, nuclear taters on the grill when I'm BBQ steaks... those are always peel on.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

We spread them on the garden and when we till them in they help break up the clay soil. I guess you could say its cold compost.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

Dakine said:


> I just peeled them because the recipe in the ball book specified it, and I haven't canned beef-veggie stew before so I don't know what the peels would do to color in the jars, taste & texture etc...
> 
> for making home made mashed potatoes, breakfast taters, nuclear taters on the grill when I'm BBQ steaks... those are always peel on.


When canning soups and stew that is the best place to use unpeeled potatoes because when it's all done you can't tell the difference anyway.

When i can just potatoes I do them both ways because cubed potatoes don't fry as nicely with the skins on.

Hog slop and chicken feed if they get peeled.


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## AuroraHawk (Sep 12, 2012)

*Soup, Broth and Gravy*

Step 1

Place 1 lb. potato peels, 1 cup carrot peels, 1 cup diced onion, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1 cup chopped parsley, 3 tbsp. lemon juice or 1 tbsp. sea salt, 1 cup orange juice and 3 qts. water in an 8-qt. stockpot with a lid.

Step 2

Bring the mixture to a rolling boil on medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent scorching the potato peels.

Step 3

Lower the heat and simmer everything together for 30 minutes or until you can smash the potato peels with a spoon. Remove from heat.

Step 4

Hang a food mill over the side of the stockpot. Use a wok strainer to dip the solids from the broth and put them in the food mill. Grind until as much of the solids go back into the broth as finely ground as possible.
Step 5

Use the broth as soup base or thicken a cup or two with 1 tbsp. cornstarch or flour to make gravy. Strain the broth through several layers of cheesecloth to make clear broth.

*
Potato Peel Snacks*

Step 1

Mix 1 lb. potato peels with 2 tbsp. lime juice and 2 tbsp. olive oil until all potatoes are coated.

Step 2

Spread the herb-coated potato peels in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, or until the peels turn golden brown.

Step 3

Remove the potato peels from the oven and scrape them into a large serving bowl lined with paper towels. Add the basil, onion powder, black pepper and garlic powder and toss until well-coated.

Step 4

Serve with sour cream, French onion dip or cucumber raita, a yogurt-based dip.

*
Potato Peel Flour*

Step 1

Spread 1 lb. potato peels in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 200 degrees for two to four hours or until the potato peels snap when bent.

Step 2

Place the dried potato peels in a food processor and pulse until powdered. Spread the powdered potato peels on another cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees for another 20 minutes.

Step 3

Scrape the dried potato-peel flour into a canister with a tight-fitting lid. Add the potato-peel flour to your next batch of muffins, cookies or quick bread.

*Potato-Peel Ink* (Kids will love this.)

Step 1

Place 1/4 lb. potato peels in the food processor. Add 1/4 cup warm water and press "liquefy." Pour the resulting liquid into a small mixing bowl.

Step 2

Dip a toothpick or cotton swab into the liquid. Write your intended message on a sheet of paper and allow the potato ink to dry.

*Step 3*

Fold the message and mail it to a friend, along with instructions to heat the paper by holding it over a light bulb, blowing across it with a hair dryer or ironing it, so that the message will reappear.

The above uses for potato peels were found at How To Use Potato Peels

Even more uses can be found at: Potato Peeling

*Tip for those with wood burners* (Daddy taught me this one.)

Burning dried potato peels slows creosote buildup in chimneys but does not stop it completely. Have your chimney swept at least yearly.


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## HillbillyPrep (Mar 24, 2012)

We been feeding our chickens peelings for decades, have had no problems. The only time we have peelings is when we make mashed taters.


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

the peel is my favorite part. Unless the taters are past prime and the peels are full of bad spots I eat them. or if she is making mashed taters and don't want them in there. Grandma used to salt water soak them and fry them up for me I loved em. Any other way I use the taters it's peel on I slice them for frying, bake, whatever. The ones that ARE too spotty to use get composted in a hole in the garden.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

I have also read that if you peel your potatoes thick, you can plant the peels (with the eyes left on) and eat the peeled potatoes. Never tried it though.


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## lilmissy0740 (Mar 7, 2011)

I just read on Grit, that the lady saves her peels, carrot tops etc and when she has enough she makes a broth just like the previous post. W always eat our peels unless they are a bit older and kinda soft.
I am going to try the broth recipe you posted, thanks!


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

I imagine that broth would work as good as any potato water for bread making, too...


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## kyredneck (Aug 12, 2012)

cnsper said:


> Well for one, I do not have potato peels, I eat them with the rest of the potato......


:thumbraise::thumbraise::thumbraise:

What a waste to trash the best part of the potato, flavor wise and nutritionally.

"...according to experts at North Dakota State University, most of the nutrients in a potato are directly beneath the skin in an area known as the "cambium." Another benefit of leaving the skins on is they add fiber to the dish."


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## red_takes_a_hike (Apr 2, 2013)

We save them up in the freezer with carrot, onion and celery scrapes and use them to add to chicken leftovers (bones and meat) to make soup broth. After we seperate the broth, for soup, we seperate the veggies from meat scraps. The veggies go to the chickens and the chicken scrapes are ground for the dogs.


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## Rainy13 (Aug 5, 2011)

Most of the time i can say that we just eat the peelings...mashed taters,fried or baked we just eat the skins too.
If the skins have started to get yucky i just toss them in the garden to add to the soil..
Not much goes to waste around here.
I will be trying the soaking of the peels in salt water then frying them, that sounds really good.


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## GroovyMike (Feb 25, 2010)

If peeled from the raw potato try to keep the eyes and any prouts intact, then plant the peelings to grow new potatoes. You don't need to plant the whole tuber, just the skin with an eye in it will grow you a new potato plant and multiple taters. I save mine all winter and plant them in the spring.

If you decide to eat them - remember that green color potato skin is toxic to humans just like the plant leaves and stems. They are part of the nightshade family.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

Deep fry them and dip them in spicy cheese sauce.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

the peels are full of minerals; i put them in the crock pot when i make broth, which I do constantly. Dehydrating & grinding them would seem to be a good start to a vegetarian soup base, but I'd add dehydrated onions, celery, and parsley, similarly ground.


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## cantinawest (Nov 9, 2011)

Do not feed them to rabbits.

We learned the hard way, by causing our pet rabbit a painful albeit quick death.
I figured; "potato peels are pretty natural, so why not let the rabbit eat them" and by the end of the day the rabbit
was no longer...


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