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Lemons are essential ingredients for day-to-day cooking, garnishing, or simply adding a citrus flavour to your food. However, during the monsoon season, the shelf life of fresh ingredients can decrease due to the increased humidity. So, what can you do to avoid lemons getting spoiled quickly?
If you are worried about the lemons sitting on your kitchen cabinet or that half-cut lemon in your fridge from getting spoiled, you’re at the right place. Due to the increased moisture content in the air, there are still a few fool-proof ways to preserve the lemons and enjoy their zesty flavour all season.
Store In A Water Jar
Storing lemons in a jar filled with water is one of the easiest ways to preserve lemons. All you need to do is get a clean jar and fill it with cold water. You can then add the dried lemons to the jar while ensuring that all of them are completely submerged. Now, you can seal the jar and refrigerate. Keep changing the water every 3-4 days, and you can keep the lemons plumpy for weeks.
Use Salt
To preserve the lemons and also turn them into a more savoury ingredient to add to gravies, drinks, or salads, you can use table salt. For this method, you’ll need to wash and dry the lemons. Then, you can cut them into two halves and run salt over the flesh and skin. Closely pack them in a jar and press them down to release some of the juice. Then, seal the jar and store it in a cool and dry place, and the lemons will be ready to use in a few weeks.
Store Lemon Zest
If you usually throw away the lemon zest after squeezing the juice, here’s another way you can preserve lemons. Take a grater and remove the outer yellow layer of the lemons. Next, spread the zest on a baking tray and bake at the lowest heat for about fifteen minutes. Once the zest is completely dry, store it in an air-tight container, and you can use it to make desserts, baked treats, and cocktails.
Lemon Juice
Freezing lemon juice is another simple way to preserve the ingredient for later use. You can squeeze fresh lemons and pour the juice into an ice cube tray. To make the shelf life even longer, you can add a little salt and then freeze it. Now, all you need to do is take out a few lemon ice cubes whenever you need to add a squeeze.
Lemon Pickle
Pickling is one of the most common methods of preserving an ingredient with a low shelf life. To make pickled lemons, wash them thoroughly, prick them with a fork or knife and pack them tightly in an air-tight jar. Store the lemons in a solution made with vinegar, lemon juice, and salt for at least a week before using.
Lemon Concentrate
Concentrated lemon syrup works perfectly to add zesty flavours to drinks, dishes, desserts, salads, and anything you need lemon juice for. To make the concentrate, remove the lemon zest and juice the leftover lemons. Mix the juice with grated zest and sugar and heat till the sugar is dissolved. Once you get a thick syrup, let it cool and then pour it into an air-tight container. All that’s left is to refrigerate till you need a squeeze of lemon.
