How to store lemons at home: rules and best places with photos and videos

Lemon is one of the most used citrus in cooking. It is sold in many stores, but leftover fruits and their parts should not be thrown away immediately. Avoiding quick spoilage of a he althy product is easy even at home - there are many ways to save a lemon, so finding the right one for further use is not difficult.

Which lemons are best kept fresh

So that the fruits do not deteriorate after a couple of days, it is recommended to choose those that have the following characteristics:

1. No stains.
2. Greenish or pale yellow skin.
3. Missing shine.
4. Thick leather.
5. Multiple bumps.

It is necessary to remove the lemons from the bag, otherwise even the best fruit will spoil in 2-3 days.

How can you store a lemon

The storage of cut and whole lemons varies greatly. If it is not yet determined exactly how the product will be used, it is better to choose storage of the whole fruit.

In general

Easiest ways to store whole lemons:

1. Rub oil into the skin, put the fruit in a dark place.
2. Grate the skin with wax with a brush, thereby limiting the access of oxygen.
3. Pour sand into a large bowl, put fruit in it. You can replace the sand with sawdust, but the lemons will need to be wrapped in parchment paper.

Product must be thoroughly rinsed before use.

Sliced citrus

A fruit cut into thin slices or pieces of a different shape is not suitable for every housewife. Due to differences in storage methods and the presence 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.

Shelf life

How long a lemon will be stored depends on the time of harvest, its degree of maturity, storage conditions and other indicators.

For long-term storage, it is right to choose green, that is, unripe, fruits, as their skin is thicker. The rate of ripening depends on the choice of storage location.

Places where it is better to keep fruit are considered a refrigerator and cellar, however, storage at room temperature is also allowed.

In room conditions

Shelf life 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 begin to rot soon, so it is enough to place the fruit in the package and suck out the air, creating a vacuum. This is difficult to do at home, but the method is effective.

In the fridge

When storing fruits in the refrigerator, pay attention to important aspects:

1. The product should be placed separately from the rest, and preferably in a special compartment.
2. Parchment paper will help if you can't store it separately.
3. Refrigerated for longer storage (2-3 months).
4. Storage in the freezer will negatively affect the quality of the product, including its taste.

In the cellar

Lemons are stored the longest in the cellar. Shelf life reaches 6 months.

Ways to keep lemon for a long time

There are ways to help 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 about 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 fill the jar. The last layer should be sugar.

You can pass the fruit through a meat grinder to make a gruel, which is mixed with sugar in a ratio of 1:1.

It is recommended to keep the jar in the room for 1 week. Shake the container daily to dissolve and absorb the sugar.

In a jar of water

In a jar filled with water, lemons will retain their juicy pulp, and the peel will definitely not dry out. The water should be changed every day to prevent spoilage 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 fruits remain unchanged for a long time.

There are various ways to freeze:

1. 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 to a bag and placed in the cold for a long time.
2. Zest and juice are frozen separately. To do this, the zest is carefully removed. To make small oblong pieces from the zest, the skin, without removing it from the fruit, is rubbed on a grater until the white part becomes visible. The resulting zest is immediately frozen.

The inside of the citrus is washed 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 to store fruit that is different from others. There are nuances that must be taken into account before starting work on blanks:

1. Fruits should be ripe, i.e. yellow and without green spots.
2. Juiciness is checked by pressing. Finger dents should remain.
3. Thick rind preferred.
4. Fruit size - medium or large.

Dried lemons are used in cooking and cosmetics.

In the oven

First, the lemons are dewaxed under hot water, scrubbing them thoroughly with a brush. Cool them for a quarter of an hour, then cut into circles. The seeds are carefully removed with the tip of a knife.

Lemon mugs are laid out on a baking sheet with parchment paper. The dishes are placed in an oven heated to 50 ° C. The door is opened. Drying takes 1 day.

The finished product turns brownish.

In 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.

22-24 hours at 55°C dry them.

It is recommended to store in a tightly closed jar or bag.

The natural way

Longer way - drying in natural conditions.

Thinly sliced lemon circles are placed on a baking sheet or tray and placed in a room with good ventilation. You need to turn them over sometimes.

Readiness is determined independently.

In the basement

The basement is the preferred place to store any kind of food, as people have long kept food in dug pits, which can be called the "predecessors" of the basement.

Earth provides the right temperature and darkness.

Preserving citrus fruits in sand

A small layer of sand is poured into the box and a row of lemons is laid out so that there is a small distance between them. Then they add another layer of sand, put a row of citrus fruits.

Thus, alternating rows, fill the entire box.

Storage in wax

Use a brush to apply wax melted in a water bath. Fruit is placed in a well-ventilated container.

Wax can be replaced with wax paper.

In a jar without air access

Fruits are stacked 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 lemons are needed, the candle remains inside.

In parchment paper

The fruits are wrapped with parchment paper separately, put in a box. From above they are covered with birch branches.

Weekly they need to be unrolled and wiped. If signs of decay are visible, the fruit is removed.

In the ice

Fruits are rubbed and put into a copper saucepan, which is placed on ice. Remove excess moisture from dishes and fruits twice a month.

Other ways

There are less popular ways to store lemons, which differ in that the fruit is not stored in its pure form.

Jam

Lemon Jam Recipe:

1. 1 kilogram of peeled sliced lemons mixed with 1.5 kilograms of sugar and 0.5 kilograms of water in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil over low heat.
3. Then boil and leave the mixture as follows: 7 minutes - 10 hours - 10 minutes - 12 hours - 15 minutes.
4. Spread into jars, close them with lids.

Lemon Syrup

How to make syrup:

1. Mix the juice of 10 lemons with a sugar syrup made from 1 kilogram of sugar and 400 milliliters of water brought to a boil.
2. The mixture is boiled for 10 minutes.
3. The finished product is poured into storage containers.

Cough mixture

When coughing, a mixture prepared according to the instructions will help:

1. 5 crushed lemons mixed with pureed ginger root and honey until a thick mixture is obtained.
2. Stir thoroughly until smooth.
3. Spread the product into the container.
4. Store refrigerated.

Jelly

Lemon juice is mixed with gelatin, boiled and poured into molds. After cooling, they put it in the refrigerator, where the jelly should completely harden.

Candied fruits

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.

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