using 'zest' from local or Chinese orange peel?

[jaideeguy]

This is actually a food type question, but I thought that maybe there would be some orange farmers that would be in the know about pesticide concerns of using the zest [or rind] of local or Chinese oranges for flavoring food. I have always made my own.....my favorite flavor being the mandarin type oranges, but I have recently become aware of the amount of pesticides sprayed on commercial oranges.

Questions are.......

in my recipes, i just use minute amounts of the zest as the flavor is quite strong and I always wash with soap and water before grating the zest off...........will that remove any residue??

Would Thai oranges be any more or less risk of pesticides??

Are there any farmers that produce organic oranges in LOS??

Thanks in advance for any opinions and/or knowledge..........

[tingtong]

just an opinion to offer, cook to cook...

washing your orange with soap? will the soap leave any residue that shuldnt be there?

do you wash your other fruits the same way? apple...grape...strawberry...cherry...etc?

since you already state that you use tiny amount of zest in the food, it isnt a quantity ingredient anyway, may worth to worry more about the other ingredients, and dont make a big deal out of the little thing.

my suggestion: wash/rinse your orange well in clean water, grate it, and enjoy your food.

[jaideeguy]

just an opinion to offer, cook to cook...

washing your orange with soap? will the soap leave any residue that shuldnt be there?

do you wash your other fruits the same way? apple...grape...strawberry...cherry...etc?

since you already state that you use tiny amount of zest in the food, it isnt a quantity ingredient anyway, may worth to worry more about the other ingredients, and dont make a big deal out of the little thing.

my suggestion: wash/rinse your orange well in clean water, grate it, and enjoy your food.

You got a point there ting......I've always been aware of the use of pesticides on orange growing here......they bees won't go near the crop up north because of the pesticides, so that must tell you something. As you say, a little won't hurt you, as we got poisons in everything we eat and it aint always what you eat that will get you, but what's eating you.

Meanwhile since I posted that I found a great source of organic orange zest at amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Orange-Granules-Certified-Organic/dp/B001VNKVPE

But I'm still open if someone has an unsprayed orange tree and would like to sell or trade some fruit.

[tingtong]

you know, it is your right.

just let me mention an example:

free range chicken...it isnt the village chicken, roaming freely as per se...in technical terms a chicken not raised in a cage.

as such, the hangar like building raised CP chicken happily can sell some places as "free range"

just like a no pesticide "organic" orange that sells by the busy road...as air pollution doesnt kill. right.

i have no persicide pappaya, banana, coconut and mango in their respective season, if come point you need them, pls feel free to contact, would be happy to help out

[teletiger]

I always thought the main problem was the fine wax coating that gets sprayed on the fruit. Not sure about Thai oranges but for sure Chinese oranges and apples get sprayed. Just get a knife and lightly scrape the skin to get a white haze. We always soak our bought veg in salt water for an hour or so.

Regards.