What is the best way to store lemons at home, rules and expiration dates for different methods

Lemon is one of the most used citrus fruits in cooking. It is sold in many stores, but the remaining fruits and their parts should not be thrown away immediately. It’s easy to avoid rapid spoilage of a healthy product even at home - there are many ways to preserve lemon, so finding one suitable 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:

1. No stains.
2. Greenish or pale yellow peel.
3. No shine.
4. Thick skin.
5. Numerous tubercles.

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

How can you store lemon?

Storing cut and whole lemons varies greatly. If it has not yet been determined exactly how the product will be used, it is better to choose storing the whole fruit.

Overall

The easiest ways to store whole lemons:

1. Rub the oil into the skin and place the fruit in a dark place.
2. Rub the skin with wax using a brush, thereby limiting the access of oxygen.
3. Pour sand into a large bowl and 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 other shapes 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 ripeness, storage conditions and other indicators.

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

The best places to keep fruit are the refrigerator and cellar, but keeping it at room temperature is also allowed.

In room conditions

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

In a refrigerator

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

1. The product should be placed separately from the rest, preferably in a special compartment.
2. Parchment paper will help if separate storage is not possible.
3. The refrigerator will provide longer storage (2-3 months).
4. Storing in the freezer will negatively affect the quality of the product, including its taste.

In the cellar

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

Ways to preserve lemon for a long time

There are ways that will definitely help preserve lemons.

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 slices of the same thickness is placed. This is how the jar is filled. The last layer should consist of sugar.

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

It is recommended to keep the jar in the room for 1 week.To ensure that the sugar dissolves and is absorbed, the container is shaken daily.

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 lemons can be stored in the freezer and whether they will lose vitamins and nutrients. Scientists claim that the properties of the fruit remain unchanged for a long time.

There are different freezing methods:

1. 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, transfer it to a bag and place it in the cold for a long time.
2. The zest and juice are frozen separately. To do this, carefully remove the zest. To make small oblong pieces of zest, grate the peel without removing it from the fruit until the white part becomes visible. The resulting zest is immediately frozen.

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

1. The fruits must be ripe, that is, yellow and without green spots.
2. Juiciness is checked by pressing. There should be dents left from your fingers.
3. Thick skin is preferable.
4. Fruit size is medium or large.

Dried lemons are used in cooking and cosmetology.

In the oven

First, lemons are cleaned of wax under hot water, thoroughly rubbing them with a brush.Cool them for a quarter of an hour, after which they are cut into circles. The seeds are carefully removed using the tip of a knife.

Place lemon circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The dishes are placed in an oven heated 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. Lay them out on trays, keeping a small distance between the circles.

Dry them 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 method 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 necessary to turn them over sometimes.

Readiness is determined independently.

In the basement

The basement is preferable for storing any food, because since ancient times people have kept food in dug holes, which can be called the “predecessors” of the basement.

The earth provides the desired 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 another layer of sand is poured in, and a row of citrus fruits is placed.

Thus, alternating rows, fill the entire box.

Storage in wax

Using a brush, apply wax melted in a water bath. The fruits are placed in a well-ventilated container.

Wax can be replaced with wax paper.

In a jar without air access

The fruits are placed in sterilized glass jars. A candle is placed inside, which must be lit and then closed tightly.

The candle will go out as soon as the oxygen runs out.

The jar is not opened until it becomes necessary to use the lemons; the candle remains inside.

In parchment paper

The fruits are wrapped individually in parchment paper and placed in a box. They are covered with birch branches on top.

They need to be unwrapped and wiped weekly. If signs of rotting are noticeable, the fruit is removed.

In the ice

The fruits are wiped and placed in a copper pan, which is placed on ice. Excess moisture is removed from dishes and fruits 2 times a month.

other methods

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

Jam

Lemon jam recipe:

1. Mix 1 kilogram of peeled sliced ​​lemons 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 according to the following scheme: 7 minutes - 10 hours - 10 minutes - 12 hours - 15 minutes.
4. Place in jars and close them with lids.

Lemon syrup

How to make syrup:

1. Mix the juice of 10 lemons with 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 containers for storage.

Cough mixture

A mixture prepared according to the instructions will help with coughing:

1. Mix 5 crushed lemons with grated ginger root and honey until a thick mixture is obtained.
2. Mix thoroughly until smooth.
3. Distribute the product into containers.
4. Keep refrigerated.

Jelly

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

Candied fruit

The skin is separated from the pulp, cut and kept in water for 3 days.It is then boiled in sugar syrup and dried in the oven.

There are many ways to preserve lemons, whole, sliced, or cooked. The main factor when choosing a method is the further purpose of the citrus.