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Peel the butternut or just leave the peel on? Here you can find out when you should peel butternut and how you can still use the peels.

Butternut squash, also known as butternut squash, is a popular type of squash that you can use in a variety of ways. Nevertheless, the preparation always raises questions: Do you have to peel butternut? There is no general answer to this and it depends, among other things, on the respective court. We’ll show you what’s important.

Shell the butternut or leave the shell on?

The skin of the butternut doesn’t get really soft, like the Hokkaido pumpkin, for example. You can eat them, but some dishes turn out better if you peel the pumpkin first. You should peel the pumpkin, especially for recipes in which you only cook it for a short time. In principle, you can leave the bowl on for soups and purees. You can avoid pieces in the finished meal by thorough pureeing. You can also leave the peel on for dishes like pumpkin wedges that take a long time to cook or bake.

Especially if you want to eat the skin, we recommend that you buy an organic pumpkin. This is how you avoid residues of chemical-synthetic pesticides on the shell. It is best to buy regionally grown pumpkins during the season to support local producers and avoid long transport routes.

Peeling the butternut: Here’s how

If you’ve decided to peel the butternut, here’s how to do it:

Remove the ends of the butternut and slice lengthways.
Remove the core with a spoon.
Stand the squash upright and use a sharp knife or vegetable peeler to cut off the skin.
By the way, you don’t have to throw away the pumpkin skins: you can use them for a snack instead. Cut the peels into small pieces and fry them in hot oil together with finely diced onion. Finally, you can season the bowls with pepper and salt and add other spices as you like.

You don’t have to throw away the seeds either. Dried and roasted, it also becomes a delicious snack.

Peeling green asparagus is quick, but in many cases it is not necessary. We will show you what you have to consider and how to properly process green asparagus.

In contrast to white asparagus, green asparagus are not pricked as soon as the head sticks out of the ground, but continues to grow in the sun. That is why green asparagus does not need black foil. Sunlight gives it its green colour, plus more healthy vitamins and a stronger flavor than white asparagus.

Since green asparagus is less expensive to grow and harvest than white, it is usually a little cheaper. It is also less complicated to prepare. Because of its thin skin, you usually don’t have to peel green asparagus! If you buy it seasonally, you can also be sure that its growth has not been artificially accelerated by heaters or thermal foils. So there is a lot to be said for accessing seasonal green asparagus.

Note: The use of foil when growing white asparagus makes it a real problem for the environment. Not only does the film pollute the environment during its production and disposal, it also destroys the natural habitat of many endangered bird species.

Peel, cut, or break green asparagus?

Whether or not you need to peel green asparagus depends on how it was harvested. If the bottom third is purple-whitish and hard, be sure to peel that part and cut off the dried ends. The white rim has not yet seen sunlight and will still be very firm and brittle after cooking.

When the asparagus is green all the way through, just cut off the end an inch. You should never peel the green and soft asparagus skin. Most of the vitamins are just under the skin. If the asparagus spears are still very thick and the skin feels hard, peel only the lower third.

You can also break green asparagus instead of cutting them. Since the inedible part cannot be broken off, the asparagus will break off above the woody end. So you don’t have to use a peeler or knife and you can prepare your asparagus quickly and easily. For this, the asparagus must be very fresh and crisp.

Green asparagus tastes best fresh from the market. If necessary, you can wrap it in a damp cloth in the fridge and keep it fresh for a few days.

In order to avoid long transport routes and to protect the environment and climate, you should only buy asparagus regionally and seasonally. To be sure your asparagus is chemical-synthetic free, buy organic asparagus.

Boil green asparagus

The easiest way to prepare green asparagus is in boiling salted water. The cooking time is significantly shorter than with white asparagus and, depending on the thickness, is only around eight minutes.

In order for the asparagus to keep its bright green color, you can also add some white vinegar or lemon juice to the cooking water and shock the asparagus with ice water when they are done.

Or you can simply fry green asparagus in a pan with some cooking oil or fat. Cut into fine pieces, it is cooked within five minutes.

Of course, asparagus can also be grilled or put in the oven as an asparagus casserole. Green asparagus soup tastes particularly delicious. You can also use the woody ends that you removed earlier and boil them as a broth for the soup. In this way you use every gram of your precious asparagus and there are no leftovers that you have to throw away at the end.

Kohlrabi tastes delicious, is healthy and grows on our doorstep. We will show you if and how you should peel kohlrabi and how you can reuse the leaves.

Raw or cooked, kohlrabi is popular

Kohlrabi is very popular with us because of its mild taste. It tastes not only raw, but also cooked as a vegetable side dish. It is also very healthy: the tuber contains many nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, selenium and some vitamins.

You can buy kohlrabi all year round. But you can only get it particularly fresh and from the region in summer. In the winter time it is imported from the Mediterranean countries.

To peel or not to peel kohlrabi?

When buying kohlrabi, you should pay particular attention to the long green leaves. If the leaves are crisp and green, then the kohlrabi is fresh. Then it also tastes particularly mild raw. Many also tend to reach for the largest tubers. But be careful: the large tubers often have many woody parts. Then he should be peeled.

The small kohlrabi tuber usually has a more delicate skin and fewer woody parts. Here it is sufficient to cut off the roots and the leaves. Otherwise, you don’t need to peel the kohlrabi. But wash it off thoroughly with water. If you want to eat the kohlrabi unpeeled, it is best to buy it in organic quality.

Peeling kohlrabi made easy

However, it is better to peel a large kohlrabi:
To do this, remove the roots and leaves with a sharp knife.
Now peel either from the root base in a circle, or from the root base towards the leaves. Be sure to cut off woody and fibrous areas.
Then you can cook the kohlrabi.
Our tip: Use a vegetable peeler, then you only cut off what is absolutely necessary. However, you should completely remove all woody areas.

Kohlrabi leaves: too bad for the garbage

The long green kohlrabi leaves are often removed in the supermarket or end up in the garbage. That’s a pity, because the fresh and crunchy leaves contain other important vitamins. Here’s how you can put the sheets to good use:
When the leaves are young, green and crisp, you can chop them up and use them as a salad topping.
You can refine cooked kohlrabi with the finely chopped leaves.
Add kohlrabi leaves to your smoothie for an extra green kick!
Or you can leave the leaves whole and use them as a substitute for aluminum foil at the next barbecue. The large leaves in particular are ideal for wrapping grilled cheese and grilled vegetables.

Mangoes can be peeled very easily with a few tricks. We show you three simple variants for different serving or eating options.

1. Peel mangoes with glass

In order for your mango to be easy to peel, it should be really ready to eat. This is especially true for this method of peeling mangoes. If the mango is well ripened, it has a red-yellow skin with a few green spots and can be easily pressed in with a finger.

Since the mango fruit is a tropical plant and usually has to travel long distances before it reaches our stores, you should rarely treat yourself to it. When buying, make sure that the mangoes come from southern Europe if possible and go to a shop near you to avoid additional transport routes.

And this is how you peel mangoes with a water glass:
Cut off both sides of your mango along the pit, which is a narrow disc in the middle. When you get to the core with the knife, just change direction a bit.
Pull the two cut halves over the rim of a glass. Press the rim of the glass between the skin and the flesh to detach the mango half from the skin.
What remains is the narrow core, which you can now simply peel with a vegetable peeler and separate the remaining flesh from the core with a knife.

2. Peel uncut mangoes

You can also easily peel and eat uncut mangoes.
If you leave a small grip area on both sides, mangoes are easy to peel with a good vegetable peeler.
You can then simply use a knife to cut off the parts of the shell that you left out to hold.
With this method, however, it is a bit more difficult to cut the mango into small pieces afterwards, since the mango is very slippery without the skin.

3. Fillet the mangoes

Depending on how you want to serve the mango, you can also fillet it. You proceed in a similar way to an orange:
Cut off a small piece of the mango at the top and bottom so that the mango has a base and you have a starting point for cutting at the top.
Place the mango vertically on a cutting board, with the heavier and larger part at the bottom.
Now carefully separate the skin from the flesh in narrow strips. Then you can cut the pulp from the stone. The standing area is also very helpful here.

Instructions and tips for peeling yourself. Because natural body peeling or facial peeling is not only sustainable but also does without harmful ingredients and unnecessary packaging waste. Use creative recipe ideas with natural home remedies for peeling production and ensure effective skincare.

Skincare with a scrub

Most people want beautiful, smooth and supple skin. Because that has a positive effect on your well-being and your own charisma. But the reality often looks different. Skin blemishes can occur especially in different age phases, such as puberty. Pigment spots, pimples, enlarged pores, or wrinkles on the face can also be unwelcome companions.

On the other hand, peeling can help to improve the complexion. With a peeling treatment, dirt and dead skin cells are removed. As a result, the skin becomes smoother and firmer. In addition, the pores become finer and the depth of the wrinkles can also be reduced by peeling.

Application and instructions for peeling

If you want to do something good for your skin and improve your complexion, then skincare with peeling is just right for you. The application is very simple and you only have to pay attention to a few things. So, use the following guide to applying scrubs to your skin:

  • Face peeling: First, wash your facial skin well. After that, however, do not use creams or toners. Now apply the peeling to dry and clean skin is very gentle circular movements. Give yourself about two to three minutes to rub it in. Since the peeling ingredients are quite coarse-grained, avoid applying too much pressure. Otherwise, redness may occur. It is also important to avoid the eye area. After rubbing in, the mixture can remain on the skin for a few minutes like a mask. Then gently wash it off with warm water.
  • Body peeling: You can also use any facial peeling as a full-body peeling. When making your own peeling, you should only pay attention to the higher amount required. Then proceed as described above and leave out sensitive parts of the body. It is also recommended to use it in the evening if redness occurs, but it disappears after a few minutes.

Make your own peeling ideas

In order to be able to make a peeling yourself, you only need coarse-grained ingredients (sugar, salt, sand) for the abrasion of the skin. And some lubricant, such as oil, yogurt, or quark to soothe and care for the skin. You have most of the ingredients ready to hand in the household, which makes the production so easy and quick. So let yourself be inspired by the following recipe ideas for homemade scrubs:

1) Olive oil, sugar, and honey scrub

You can make an effective peeling with 2 tablespoons of pure olive oil, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of healthy honey. To do this, mix the ingredients in a bowl until a solid mass is formed. However, the sugar should not dissolve in the process. Consequently, all components of the scrub should be at room temperature. If you are using the scrub on larger areas of the body than the face, you will need to use more olive oil, sugar, and honey according to the proportions above.

2) Make a sea salt and oil scrub

Making a peeling yourself is even easier: Take a few teaspoons of normal salt or sea salt and add some oil. The oil gives your skin pleasant moisture. Depending on which oil you use, the skin also gets additional nutrients. So simply stir the mass well so that a creamy substance is formed. Then massage it into the skin. If you want a great scent, add the essential oil of your choice. Learn more about healthy oils and their effects.

3) Make your own peeling with quark

Since quark is known as a tried and true remedy, use it to make scrubs. Accordingly, mix some quark with sand. You can also use well-tolerated healing earth as an abrasion tool. The finer the sand, the more sand you can use. If the sand is not so coarse, this peeling is gentle on the skin. In addition, the quark provides your skin with plenty of nutrients and moisture, so that the skin becomes more supple after use.

4) Make your own refreshing peeling from coffee

For a nourishing body scrub, mix coffee grounds with olive oil to create a mushy paste. Then apply the peeling to your body with circular movements. Then leave it on the skin for about 15 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water. So you have effective skincare and can reduce orange peel skin thanks to the caffeine it contains.

5) Make scrub from coconut oil and sugar

The miracle cure of coconut oil is also well suited for peeling yourself. For soft and tender skin, you must first heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a water bath. Then you can stir in the sugar and massage it into your skin. But make sure it’s not too warm. After waiting a few minutes, you can gently rinse everything off.

The effect of peelings

After the peeling, the skin feels wonderfully soft and it is no longer necessary to apply the cream. The sugar removes dead skin cells. As a result, the skin looks fresh and impurities are treated preventively. Honey, olive oil, and quark also contain nourishing substances. Thus, the result of homemade peelings is a nourishing and sophisticated care product. You can use this anytime to promote healthy skin. In addition, note how you can make shampoo yourself and how sustainable shower gel production can be achieved.