How to keep lemons fresh

You can store lemon at home from 1-2 weeks to 4-5 months. The shelf life depends on the quality of the purchased fruit, the type of container in which the fruits are stored and their location: citrus fruits can be stored in the refrigerator, cellar or in the cupboard if it is dried zest. Contrary to popular belief, long-term storage of lemons is possible without the use of chemicals or natural preservatives.

How long can a lemon be stored

When storing lemons at home, you can extend the shelf life of the fruit up to 4-5 weeks if you keep them in the refrigerator. At the same time, it is better to choose not a freezer as a placement, but a department for fruits and vegetables or lemongrass.

At room temperature, lemons retain their beneficial properties and attractive appearance for 6-7 days, no more. The higher the temperature in the room, the faster the peel and pulp of citrus fruits begin to dry out.

It is even more difficult to keep the freshness of the fruit cut into slices. In this state, the fruit quickly loses moisture and becomes unusable after 1-2 days.

Grated zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice keep in the freezer for 4 to 6 months.

How to choose the right lemons for long-term storage

To prevent lemons from spoiling in a matter of days, it is not enough to store them according to all the rules – a lot depends on the quality of the fruit. When choosing fruits, the following recommendations should be followed:

• damaged goods deteriorate quickly, so you should not take rumpled or scratched fruits;
• if the fruit easily succumbs to pressure when compressed, it means that it has been pre-frozen, which negatively affects the aroma and beneficial properties of the product;
• too soft lemons may be rotten;
• too hard texture of the fruit indicates its immaturity.

What containers are suitable for storing lemon

To keep lemons fresh at home for as long as possible, they are placed in a special container. Best for storing this product:

• sealed glass containers (for example, lemongrass);
• plastic containers;
• zip bags for fruits.

Citrus containers are best stored in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment at 6-8°C.

How to store lemons at home

How long the fruits will remain fresh depends on the storage conditions of lemons. It is recommended to adhere to the following rules:

1. Lemons should be stored at 6-8°C. For this, a refrigerator or cellar is best suited. In winter, you can put it on a glazed balcony. The main thing is not to forget to cover them in severe frosts.
2. The product can not be kept in a room with high humidity, otherwise it will begin to rot.
3. Fruit should not be exposed to direct sunlight. It is better to put them in a dark, dry place.
4. In no case should citrus fruits be kept in plastic bags at room temperature. In such conditions, they deteriorate very quickly.
5. Fruits should not be placed on a shelf with other products. It is better to put them in a special compartment for vegetables and fruits.
6. Do not put fruit in the freezer. After freezing, they lose their pleasant aroma and richness of taste.

How to store lemon in the refrigerator

Without any additional protection measures, the shelf life of fruits in the refrigerator is about 2 months. This figure can be increased to 4 months if you follow the following rules:

1. A large number of fruits are recommended to be wrapped in parchment to prevent drying out. If one lemon has already been purchased spoiled, rot or disease will not pass under such storage conditions to other specimens.
2. Before placing the fruits in a plastic bag or parchment, their peel should be greased with vegetable oil. The oil film slows down the evaporation of moisture.

How to Store a Cut Lemon in the Refrigerator

A cut lemon is more difficult to store – in this form it begins to dry out much faster. You can increase the shelf life up to 7 days by placing the fruit in a lemon balm. There are also a number of small tricks that can extend its “life”:

• a cut lemon retains its freshness well if you put it cut down on a plate smeared with vinegar and cover with a glass;
• you can keep a sliced ​​lemon fresh for a little more than a week using a napkin soaked in vinegar, in which the fruit is wrapped;
• cling film well restrains the evaporation of moisture from the cut on the fruit, if it is hermetically packaged;
• the cut point can be smeared with a small amount of egg white;
• water is poured into a shallow container and the fruit is placed in it, but always with the cut up, so that the water does not flood it (otherwise the fruit will quickly rot).

Separately, it is worth highlighting the following method of storing a lemon cut into slices: the pieces are put into a jar or other glass container, sprinkled with salt, bay leaf and pepper. The disadvantage of this method is that the specific aroma of pepper and bay leaf will be added to the lemon smell. In addition, the product will become unsuitable for making dessert.

How to store peeled lemons

Peeled citrus fruits lose moisture very quickly. To slow down the drying of fruits, they are stored in airtight glass containers. As an additional measure of protection, the vessel is filled to the brim with water.

How to store lemons without zest

The peeled fruit is best kept in a glass container filled to the top with water. The following products are used as preservatives:

• salt;
• sugar;
• honey.

If the fruit is later used for the preparation of sweet dishes, it is better to take honey or sugar as a preservative. If it is part of meat or fish dishes, salt is more suitable for preservation.

How to store lemon peel

Lemon peel is made in the form of chips, which are removed from the top layer of the peel, or powder. In the first case, the product can be frozen, but most often the zest is dried. The frozen mass is removed in the refrigerator. Dry chips or powder are poured into a dry glass container and the container is placed in a room with good air ventilation.

How to store grated lemon

To grate a lemon, it is pre-frozen. After that, the grated mass is distributed into special portioned bags or containers. It is important that the product storage container is hermetically sealed.

How to keep lemons for a long time

There are several ways to maximize the shelf life of a lemon. The simplest and most effective are the following:

1. About 3-4 months you can store fresh fruits, folded in a deep bowl of water.
2. The useful properties and presentation of the fruits are preserved for a long time if they are put in a jar of water. Fruits are poured with water so that it completely covers them, after which they put the jar in the refrigerator. It is not recommended to keep the jar indoors, but lemons should not be removed in the freezer either. It is a heat-loving crop that freezes and softens at temperatures below 6°C. The complexity of the method lies in the fact that the water in the jar needs to be changed every 2-3 days.
3. Lemons stay fresh for several months if they are covered with wax paper, but this method is not easy. In addition, the price of wax is quite high. On the other hand, the effectiveness of the preservative properties of this material is undeniable. The fruits are wrapped in wax paper, each fruit separately, after which they are put in a deep glass or plastic container for storage. It should close tightly.
4. Natural wax can also be used instead of wax paper. In this case, the substance is melted using a water bath. A brush is dipped into the softened wax and the surface of the fruit is covered with a thin layer of preservative. As soon as the wax hardens, the lemons are put into a container and put in the cellar or in the refrigerator. In order for the fruits not to acquire an unpleasant aftertaste, it is advisable to ventilate the container from time to time.
5. The vacuum method is very effective, but the process of pumping air out of the tank can cause some difficulties. Lemons according to this method are put in a large glass jar, but they do not fill it entirely, until it stops. Limit – ½ of the total volume of the can. On the upper fruits, a low candle or candle cinder is installed. The wick is set on fire, after which it is necessary to tightly close the container. Ultimately, the combustion process will “eat” all the oxygen in the vessel. A signal that the jar has run out of air will be an extinguished candle. In such a vacuum environment, lemons are stored for several months.

How to save lemons for the winter

You can keep a lemon fresh for a long time in the cold winter months in the refrigerator if you choose the right container, but this method is best suited for a small amount of fruit. It is inconvenient to keep significant volumes of fruit in the refrigerator – they will occupy the entire compartment for fruits and vegetables.

A great way to preserve the quality of lemons is to place the fruit in fine-grained sand. It is convenient to use it as a covering insulating material due to its excellent hygroscopic properties, i.e. ability to prevent premature drying of fruits. This is due to the fact that the grains of sand absorb excess moisture from the air.

Before you sprinkle the fruits with sand, it must be thoroughly calcined in the oven. To do this, sand is poured into a plastic or glass container with a layer no more than 3 cm thick. After processing, lemons are laid out in it and they are poured so that the sand rises 2-3 cm above the fruit.

To increase the efficiency of storing fruits in the sand, you can use thick paper (parchment), in which each fruit is wrapped. If the volume of the container allows, the fruits are laid out in several layers.

An alternative way to preserve fruits in winter is to dry thinly sliced ​​lemon slices. In this form, the product perfectly retains the original vitamin composition and can later be used as a food supplement for tea.

Lemon slices are dried naturally for a week or 5-6 hours at a temperature of 50°C. Dried slices are stored in a glass container, a plastic container or in a paper bag. The main thing is to keep the product in a dry, dark place.

You can learn more about the features of long-term storage of lemons from the video:

Conclusion

Keeping a lemon at home is quite simple if you choose the right quality product, container and temperature. It is important to remember that if the fruits have deteriorated for some reason, they are unsuitable for human consumption. Even if you cut off a moldy or rotten part of the fruit, the rest of it remains toxic. The harmful flora contained in it can cause serious damage to health.