With most fruits, there is a portion of the plant that we tend to avoid such as orange peels, apple cores and strawberry stems. What many people don’t realize is these seemingly useless parts of food have some value, and not just for composting in your garden.

I first ate an orange peel on a dare. I have never been picky about my food, but I still was expecting a nasty taste. The taste, while being far more bitter than the rest of the fruit, was more than bearable and the texture didn’t feel out of the ordinary.

What most people may not realize is that peels and skins of many fruits and vegetables are both edible and more nutritious than the “flesh” of the fruit which we typically eat.

According to WebMD.com, the peel of an orange has almost twice the vitamin C as the rest of the fruit. Kiwifruit skin has more antioxidants and flavonoids than the green inside. Watermelon rinds contain an amino acid that can reduce pain from sore muscles.

These tough parts of fruits and veggies can be difficult for our stomachs to digest, but a little bit of kitchen creativity can help. Watermelon rinds can be stir-fried, for example, and orange peels can be shredded to add flavor to a salad or bowl of ice cream.

You might even already be enjoying the most nutritional outer layers of some foods. FoodNetwork.com also states that apple, cucumber and peach skins all contain more nutrients than the main body of their respective fruits.

If you do try eating a fruit or veggie peel and think the taste is bearable, or maybe even kind of good, then you’ll have a highly nutritious party trick at your disposal.

Eating fruit peels may seem strange and you may find that you don’t like the taste, but considering the potential benefits, it’s worth a shot.