Lemons are found in kitchens and cuisines all over the world because their citrusy acid pairs well with both sweet and savory meals. Whether you’re lucky enough to reside in a location where fresh lemons grow on a tree in your backyard, or you buy them at your local grocery store, it’s handy to have the juice of lemons when you need it. Learning how to preserve lemon juice is a wise choice.
Preserving lemon juice ensures that you use the entire fruit before it goes bad and gets thrown in the trash.
A single lemon tree can grow over 1,000 fruits every year, and lemons are one of the most beloved fruits globally.
Their sweet and sour acid brings a bright note to foods and is an excellent source of additional vitamin C and fiber. Finding ways to preserve lemon juice is ideal for taking advantage of its multitude of health benefits.
Facts about Lemons
Lemons weren’t always here. They are the hybrid between the citron plant and limes and come from Asia. These fruits are incredibly sour but somehow make plenty of foods taste better.
One medium lemon has as few as 20 calories and is made of almost 90 percent water. With the high amounts of vitamins and other compounds, lemons have given us numerous health benefits.
These fruits improve heart health, prevent anemia and kidney stones, and even reduce the risk of multiple cancer types. The most popular type of lemon in America is the Meyer lemon, and 95 percent of the crop is grown in Arizona and California.
Aside from improving our health, fresh lemon juice is perfect for cleaning homes, acting as a preservative to other fruits and preventing them from browning, and even soothing a sore throat.
Preserved lemons and their juice not only allow us to savor their lemon flavor but keep us living healthful and productive lives.
Bright Ways to Preserve Lemon Juice
If you find yourself stuck with a lot of lemons, then you might be struggling to eat them all before they mold and become useless. As tempting as it may be to store these bright fruits in a bowl on your countertops, they tend to dry out at room temperature, even when stored in a dark place.
When do lemons go bad? The best way to store whole lemons is to refrigerate them where they last for up to two weeks. Once the two weeks get close, it is time to find the best way to preserve lemon juice.
Lemons and their juice also make excellent cleaners around the house. Cleaning an oven with lemon juice is just as easy as tackling laundry stains.
How to Preserve Lemon Juice in the Fridge
When thinking about preserving lemon juice, many people want to juice everything ahead of time and use it all as soon as they can.
It is easy to store lemon juice in the fridge, although it won’t last as long as alternative methods. Bottled lemon juice is fine, but real lemons have the most benefits.
To preserve fresh lemon juice in the refrigerator, use a juicer to squeeze all of the juice out of your fresh lemons. Do not keep the liquid at room temperature because it promotes bacteria growth if it isn’t kept cold.
Clear glass containers also aren’t the greatest choice for lemon juice storage. Put the freshly squeezed juice in a plastic or glass container that isn’t transparent so that the light doesn’t break down the juice. How long is lemon juice good for in the refrigerator? Keep it covered in the fridge for up to three days.
If about two days pass by and you don’t think you can get through it all, turn the juice into homemade lemonade by diluting it in a glass of water and mixing in some sugar. Lemonade is something the whole family gets to enjoy, and it’s easy to drink it all before it spoils.
Preserving Lemon Juice in the Freezer
There are few things better for preservation than a freezer. The great thing about below-freezing temperatures is that whole lemons, lemon slices, and lemon juice are safe to freeze.
Freeze lemon zest by bagging it and letting out the air. If freezing lemons whole is your plan, set them in a plastic bag and store them there until ready to thaw and freeze. Store slices the same way.
Freezing lemon juice is ideal for a lot of people because they stay fresh for six months to a year and are easy to measure out into just the right size. Start juicing your desired amount of juice from the fruit.
Pour the citrus liquid into ice cube trays and let them freeze overnight. The following morning, remove the frozen juice cubes from the freezer and place them in freezer bags.
Grab a couple of frozen lemon juice cubes every time you want fresh lemon juice. This system also works for lime juice, orange juice, and other citrus fruits.
Canning Lemon Juice
Canning is an excellent preservation method, whether you are learning the way to can lemons or juice. The canning process takes only about one hour with prep, and it gives the lemon juice a stable shelf life of around two years.
It’s also safe to can them in a water bath so that you don’t have to have any special equipment like a pressure canner.
Decide if you want to use pint or quart-sized jars. A pint jar holds about 500 milliliters, while quart jars hold 1000 milliliters. Take each sterile glass jar and fill it nearly to the rim or so that there is a quarter-inch of space left between the top of the juice and the lid.
Make sure the jars are tightly sealed and wipe off the fluid that spills onto the sides. Place each jar in a large stockpot and fill it with water so the jars are covered by two inches of water.
Bring the water to a boil and water can them in the boiling water for five to ten minutes. Remove the glass jars from the hot water with tongs and gently set them on the counter so they cool to room temperature.
This process might take as long as 24 hours. Remove the rings and ensure that all the lids are adequately sealed to the glass.
Frozen Lemon Zest
As excited as you are about the juice, don’t forget about the zest on the outer peel. Lemon zest freezes beautifully and is easily stored in a Mason jar or airtight container.
Use a zester to zest the entire outside of the lemons before you juice them. Try to get only the yellow part and not the bitter pith underneath it. Store the zested lemon peel in the freezer for six to 12 months.
Pickling Lemon Rind
We don’t often eat lemon rinds, but pickling them allows you to utilize the entire fruit without wasting anything. All you have to do is cut the rind into strips and boil them for 30 minutes.
Drain the boiled rinds and place them in a jar with some olive oil and sea salt. They pickle themselves in a few days and last three weeks in the refrigerator.
Figuring out how to preserve lemon juice is easy, and these are only some of the main ways to do it. If you want to get more creative, call a sidebar with your friends and brainstorm strategies to test in the kitchen.
Use these preserve-lemon-juice recipes to prevent food waste and keep all the meals you cook tasting bright and fresh.
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