The grocery store produce section is a crazy quilt of colors, shapes, and textures. There are fruits from all over the world within our reach throughout the year. Each of these natural treats has its own unique composition of vitamins and minerals, not to mention antioxidants and other health-boosting properties.

{relatedarticles}

Many of us don't take advantage of all the fruits and vegetables available, mainly because some of them aren't familiar to us. We're not sure how they'll taste or if it will be difficult to prepare them. Sometimes, we don't realize the full potential of fruits we eat all the time.

Rinds are among the most frequently overlooked food resources. The rind is the skin and pulp of the fruit. Most people like to remove the rinds from fruits, because they usually don't offer much in the way of flavor, and they're not very pretty for presentation.

It might be surprising to learn that while rinds may take away from the presentation of your fruit or vegetable, they contain lots of nutrients and can be used for cooking as well as other uses.

Rinds can be dried, placed in sachets, and used as a refreshing potpourri. They can also be used as part of natural, at-home beauty treatments.

The real value of rinds is in the kitchen, where they can be used to enhance both the flavor and the nutritional value of your food.