Citrus is an incredibly versatile flavor. It can bring a lot of depth and personality to any type of meal and is known to be one of the most versatile ingredients. Found in numerous desserts, baked goods and even Asian inspired stir fries, cooking with citrus is fun and uncomplicated.

Whether you have a potted lime tree or a planted dwarf lemon tree, your citrus fruit can be used in endless ways to bring a splash of zesty flavor to your family’s meals.

Here are some important tips to consider while cooking with citrus:

1. Zest can be beautiful but tricky:

Though there are many recipes which call for zest either as a garnish or as an active flavoring, using it can have two very drastic outcomes. One, if zested properly the rind of a lemon can be quite sweet as a perfectly compliment many dishes. However, if the fruit is zested too heavily, the white portion of the rind may be used, tasting surprisingly bitter and sour.

2. Use rind swirls as a decorative and playful garnish:

While cooking with citrus and using fruit as an ingredient it is sometimes a good idea to continue the fruit flavors into the garnish. One of the easiest ways to garnish a dish using citrus fruit is to slice off a long thin ribbon of peel and lay it atop a side dish or soup.

3. Section your fruit while cooking with oranges:

While cooking with oranges it is important to avoid using the tough inner skins and rind. Sectioning a whole citrus fruit is not as difficult as some cooks think. To remove the sweet, watery flesh from an orange simply peel the fruit and gently cut away a thin amount of the inner rind and pith. Once you can see the sections of the orange, carefully cut along the inner side of each section and gently remove the softer fruit flesh.

4. Use as much of your home-grown citrus as possible:

Almost every part of a citrus fruit can be used while cooking. The peel as mentioned is great for garnishing and for zest. But the flesh is also a great complimentary addition to salads, cocktails or even desserts. And to make sure you get all you can from your freshly harvested fruits, the juice can be used as a quick and easy base for many salad dressings!

5. And finally, don’t limit yourself to sweets and desserts!

Cooking with citrus does not mean that you are limited to creating sweet baking treats and desserts. Citrus fruit is great when partnered with common fish such as salmon, both roasted and grilled chicken, stir fired and barbecued beef and even delicate sea foods such as oysters and lobster!