Amazing Tricks With Shells, Peels, and Rinds

Using the whole animal was all the rage in American cooking (quite) awhile ago. But using the whole vegetable/fruit? That’s 21st century.

I’m not sure if Zack de la Rocha was referring to walnut shells when he entreated us to “rally ‘round the family... with a pocket full of shells” (on Rage Against the Machine's headbanging 1996 hit, "Bulls On Parade"). Regardless, that’s pretty sound advice. A pocket full of shells in the right hands is like a Swiss army knife, without all the danger.

Shells, rinds, husks, cocoons (maybe not), and other biopackaging can be a lot more than just compost. (Although it will eventually be compost.) Here are some suggestions for getting the most out of your pre-compost (Commost).

• Hollow out an avocado. I suggest doing this by consuming the consumable part. Just don't mash the outside. Soon, you'll have a super cute seedling planter that looks like an alien pod. When your seedling is ready, transplant it, and compost the shell. Your garden's benefit will be twofold. 
• Next time you go to vandalize your neighbor's house as part of a larger plot, set aside a couple of eggs. After you empty the yolks for your slingshot (or omelet), save the shells. Break up the shells and sprinkle them in your garden to prevent the passage of slugs. There's nothing a slug hates more than a jagged eggshell slicing into its slugflesh. 
• I like to give traveling French merchants my money as much as the next guy. But citrus rinds, dried and dusted with essential oils, can make a great potpourri alternative if you're short on cash.  
• Cucumbers, which are the MacGyver of vegetables, can discourage garden pests. Some cucumber slices in a tin—yes, a tin—will cause a phytochemical reaction which insects find unpleasant. Use in concert with eggshells to make your garden an impenetrable fortress.
• Speaking of traps, don't toss that banana peel from your car just yet. (Unless you're in a go kart race.) Running a banana peel over a clean shoe can revive that factory shine. Doing the opposite will result in a whimsical loss of balance.
• Shiny shoes making your house plants look dull? That banana peel will restore the factory shine of your favorite waxy green house plants as well. Rub the peel over the leaves. I know it sounds crazy. But seriously, just wait until you can see your reflection in a fern—it's magical.
• Speaking of magic, how about using onions to transform eggs into treasures? Boiling onions with eggs will dye the eggs a unique, golden, oniony color. This is good for creating a monochrome, weirdly anticlimactic Easter egg hunt. 
• If you're a dying-things-with-food enthusiast who is also getting on in years, or just really stressed out, you should hang on to your potato skins. Boil some potato skins, then lose the skins and rinse with the potato water if you'd like to darken your grey hair. Also great if you're in witness protection and shouldn't leave the house for proper dye.
• Use peach skins (the pulpy side) to scrub your face, along with a mild abrasive, like sugar. How you get it off is up to you. Peach skins are rich in potassium and Vitamin A, which are great for your skin.  
• As long as you're housebound and altering your appearance to escape your old life, why not make yourself some jewelry out of nutshells? Brazil nuts are especially good for making durable, adorable adornments. A drill, string, and a handful of nuts are all you need.
• You'll probably want to tie that cool bead necklace made of nuts together with a locket or some other such bauble. Reach for a citrus fruit rind and run the inside over any nonferrous metal to give the metal a new luster. 
• A walnut, carefully bisected and re-glued after, can be a great gift box. For something very small. 
• After you're done polishing your nonferrous metals with those lemon peels, why not throw them into your humidifier or garbage disposal? Either will add a pleasant freshness to your environs.
• You can also pickle your peels and rinds with any number of recipes to make great bite-sized snacks. 
• Even melon rinds and squash shells need not be wasted—scrape out the inside and dry to use as an adorable fruit salad or squash soup bowl. 
• If you're less of a soup person and more of a vodka person, you can always infuse your favorite spirits with citrus peels. Dropping in some orange or lemon peels will add a pleasant note to the nail polish taste. 
• Dropping citrus peels into old olive oil can revitalize it, as well.
• If you're into smoking meat, try putting corn cobs in the smoker. It adds a great savory flavor.
• Throwing some peanut shells into charcoal, or replacing the charcoal with peanut shells altogether, can add some variety to your grilling. 

All that, and I didn't once say "in a nutshell."

Last, but certainly not least: no list of alternative rind solutions and shell projects would be complete without some Amish instructions on how to make birdhouses out of gourds.