Method 1: Dry naturally. Not just any kind of orange can be used to dry tangerine peel. Every winter, I buy some Sichuan red tangerines to dry tangerine peel. The preparation method is to add a small amount of flour to the water, soak the oranges for 8-10 minutes, and clean the orange peels. When peeling the orange, pay attention to peel it into the shape of a four-petal flower to facilitate subsequent drying and storage. Put the orange peel in a sunny place to dry, and finally put the dried orange peel in a plastic bag or box and seal it, write the date on it, and it can be used in the second year. Of course, the longer it is stored, the better the medicinal effect will be.

Method 2: Three steaming and three drying. First, clean the orange peels, dry them out and then put them in the sun to dry. Then put the orange peel in a steamer and steam it thoroughly. After the steaming, the orange peel is dried again in the sun. Use the same method to steam and dry it for the second and third times. The tangerine peel made in this way will smell better than directly drying it, with a strong orange peel fragrance. Of course, it needs to be stored for 1-2 years, or longer, before it can be considered real tangerine peel.

Why can’t something dried with orange peel be called Chen? In fact, the most important thing about tangerine peel is the word "Chen". Generally, only tangerine peel that has been aged for more than 3 years can be called tangerine peel, and only tangerine peel that has been aged for more than 5 years has medicinal value. Generally, the longer the storage time, the greater the medicinal value. Therefore, ordinary sun-dried orange peel has no effect except for its fragrance. This is why it is called tangerine peel instead of orange peel.