How best to store lemons at home, rules and expiration dates for different methods
Lemon is one of the most commonly used citrus in cooking. It is sold in many stores, but leftover fruit and portions should not be thrown away immediately. It is easy to avoid quick spoilage of a healthy product even at home - there are many ways to preserve lemon, so finding a suitable one for further use is not difficult.
Which lemons are suitable for fresh storage
To prevent the fruits from spoiling after a couple of days, it is recommended to choose those that have the following characteristics:
- There are no spots.
- Greenish or pale yellow rind.
- There is no gloss.
- Thick skin.
- Numerous tubercles.
It is necessary to remove the lemons from the bag, otherwise even the best fruit will go bad in 2-3 days.
How can you store lemon
Storage of sliced and whole lemons varies greatly. If it is not yet determined how exactly the product will be used, it is better to choose storage of the whole fruit.
In general
The easiest ways to store whole lemons are:
- Rub oil into the peel, put the fruit in a dark place.
- Rub the skin with wax with a brush, thereby limiting the access of oxygen.
- Pour sand into a large bowl, place the fruit there. You can replace the sand with sawdust, but the lemons will need to be wrapped in parchment paper.
The product must be rinsed thoroughly before use.
Cut citrus
Fruit cut into thin slices or pieces of a different shape is not suitable for every housewife. Due to the differences in storage methods and the availability of other products that are used in the process, it is necessary to determine in advance what exactly the lemon will be used for in the future.
Storage periods
How long the lemon will be stored depends on the time of harvest, the degree of its maturity, storage conditions and other indicators.
For long-term storage, it is right to choose green, that is, unripe, fruits, since their skin is thicker. The rate of ripening depends on the choice of storage location.
The places where it is better to keep fruit are considered to be the refrigerator and cellar, however, keeping at room temperature is also allowed.
Indoor conditions
The shelf life when stored at home is about 2 weeks. In addition to the already listed ways to extend this period, there is one more.
In the absence of oxygen, the fruit will not start to rot soon, so it is enough to put the fruit in the package and suck out the air by creating a vacuum. This is difficult to do at home, but the method is effective.
In a refrigerator
When storing fruit in the refrigerator, pay attention to important aspects:
- The product should be placed separately from the rest, and preferably in a special compartment.
- Parchment paper will help in the absence of the possibility of separate storage.
- The refrigerator will provide longer storage (2-3 months).
- Storage in the freezer will negatively affect the quality of the food, including its taste.
In the cellar
Lemons are kept in the cellar for the longest time. The shelf life is up to 6 months.
Ways to preserve lemon for a long time
There are ways to help you preserve lemons for sure.
Storing lemon with sugar
Sugar has long been known as a preservative, so this method is very popular. Remotely, such a product will resemble fresh jam.
The fruits are cut into circles approximately 5 millimeters thick. A thin layer of sugar (up to 1 centimeter) is poured into the jar, then a layer of lemon circles of the same thickness is laid. Thus, the jar is filled. The last layer should be sugar.
You can skip the fruit through a meat grinder to make a gruel, which is mixed with sugar in a 1: 1 ratio.
It is recommended to keep the jar in the room for 1 week. To dissolve and absorb the sugar, shake the container daily.
In a jar of water
In a jar filled with water, lemons will retain their juicy flesh and the rind will definitely not dry out. The water should be changed every day to prevent deterioration of the product.
Frozen fruits in the freezer
There are different opinions about whether it is possible to store lemons in the freezer, whether they will lose vitamins and nutrients. Scientists claim that the properties of the fruit remain unchanged for a long time.
There are various ways to freeze:
- The washed fruits are cut into circles or semicircles, laid out on a baking sheet with parchment paper, which is placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours. After complete hardening, they are transferred into a bag and placed in the cold for a long time.
- The zest and juice are frozen separately. To do this, carefully remove the zest. To make small oblong slices from the zest, the skin is rubbed on a grater without removing it from the fruit until the white part is visible. The resulting zest is immediately frozen.
The inside of the citrus is punctured by hand. Juice is obtained using a juicer or 2 forks. The liquid is poured into ice molds and frozen.
Dried lemons
Dried lemons are an unusual but effective way of storing fruit, different from others. There are nuances that must be considered before starting work on blanks:
- The fruits must be ripe, that is, yellow and without green spots.
- The juiciness is checked by pressing. There should be finger dents.
- Thick rind is preferred.
- Fruit size is medium to large.
Dried lemons are used in cooking and cosmetology.
In the oven
First, lemons are cleaned of wax deposits under hot water, carefully rubbing them with a brush. They are cooled for a quarter of an hour, after which they are cut into circles. The seeds are carefully removed with the tip of a knife.
Place lemon circles on a baking sheet with parchment paper. The dishes are placed in an oven preheated to 50 ° C. The door is opened slightly. Drying takes 1 day.
The finished product takes on a brownish tint.
In an electric dryer
As in the previous version, the fruits are peeled and cut into circles up to 5 millimeters in thickness. They are laid out on trays, keeping a small distance between the circles.
They are dried for 22-24 hours at a temperature of 55 ° C.
It is recommended to store in a tightly closed jar or bag.
Naturally
A longer way is natural drying.
Thinly sliced lemon slices are placed on a baking sheet or tray and placed in a room with good ventilation. It is sometimes necessary to turn them over.
Readiness is determined independently.
In the basement
The basement is preferable for storing any food, because for a long time people kept food in dug pits, which can be called "predecessors" of the basement.
The earth provides the desired temperature and darkness.
Preserving citrus fruits in the sand
A small layer of sand is poured into the box and a row of lemons are laid out so that a small distance remains between them. Then another layer of sand is poured, a number of citrus fruits are added.
Thus, alternating rows, they fill the entire box.
Storage in wax
Wax melted in a water bath is applied with a brush. The fruits are placed in a well-ventilated container.
The wax can be replaced with wax paper.
In a bank without air access
The fruits are put in sterilized glass jars. A candle is placed inside, which must be lit, then tightly closed.
The candle will go out as soon as the oxygen runs out.
The jar is not opened until it becomes necessary to use lemons, the candle remains inside.
In parchment paper
The fruits are individually wrapped in parchment paper and placed in a box. From above they are covered with birch twigs.
Unfold and wipe them weekly. If signs of decay are visible, the fruit is harvested.
In ice
The fruit is rubbed and placed in a copper pan, which is placed on ice. 2 times a month, remove excess moisture from dishes and fruits.
other methods
There are less popular storage methods for lemons, where the fruit is not kept pure.
Jam
Lemon Jam Recipe:
- Mix 1 kg of peeled lemons with 1.5 kg of sugar and 0.5 kg of water in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over low heat.
- Then boil and leave the mixture as follows: 7 minutes - 10 hours - 10 minutes - 12 hours - 15 minutes.
- Arrange in jars, close them with lids.
Lemon syrup
How to make syrup:
- Mix the juice of 10 lemons with sugar syrup made from 1 kilogram of sugar and 400 milliliters of water, brought to a boil.
- The mixture is boiled for 10 minutes.
- The finished product is poured into utensils for storage.
Cough mixture
When coughing, the mixture prepared according to the instructions will help:
- Mix 5 minced lemons with grated ginger root and honey until a thick mixture is obtained.
- Mix thoroughly until smooth.
- Distribute the product in containers.
- Keep refrigerated.
Jelly
Lemon juice is mixed with gelatin, boiled and poured into molds. After cooling, they are removed to the refrigerator, where the jelly should completely solidify.
Candied fruit
The peel is separated from the pulp, cut and kept in water for 3 days. Then it is boiled in sugar syrup and dried in the oven.
There are many ways to preserve lemons whole, sliced, or cooked. The main factor in choosing a method is the further purpose of the citrus.
