There is nothing as refreshing as a chilled glass of lemonade to escape the scorching heat of summers.
Lemons give flavor to baked goods, sauces, salad dressings, marinades, drinks, and desserts.
They are an excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids, which are antioxidants and help remove free radicals that can damage cells from the body.
It is very important to store lemons the right way to keep them fresh. As they are acidic in nature, lemons have a short shelf life because they lose their moisture and grow unwanted black spots.
Also, the small pores in lemon’s outer layer allow the moisture to escape and makes it dry and flavourless.
Here are a few tips to store lemons the right way to keep them fresh for a longer period of time.
- Lemons are best kept in the fridge. Stashed in the fridge on a shelf, fresh lemons remain fresh for a week or more.
- If you really want your lemons to last, put them in a sealed container or a zip-top bag. This will prevent lemons from drying out and keep them fresh for almost a month.
- If you have used just half a lemon, cover the exposed end with food wrap or put in a sealed container. But it must be used within a few days.
- Another simple trick to keep lemon fresh is to store them in a glass jar full of water. Add all the lemons in a jar, put water and place them in the refrigerator.
- Lemon juice could be kept in the fridge for a few days. After a few days, the juice is best used in cooking or baking, but not in fresh lemonade. It could also be frozen. Just pop the juice into ice cube trays, remove when frozen and store in a sealed container.
- If you want to store lemon wedges and slices, store them in a sealed container and use within a week.
- Also, lemons are sensitive to ethylene. Therefore they should never be kept near ethylene emitting fruits like apricots, apples, bananas, etc.
