Juicy and fragrant bright yellow citrus are firmly entrenched in the life of modern man. Against this background, the housewives sometimes wonder how to store lemons correctly, even if after a few days in the refrigerator they begin to deteriorate. This applies to already cut, as well as whole citrus, so many prefer to limit themselves to buying only one fruit, even very high quality.
In fact, there are many approaches that allow to keep the products fresh for a long time. Do not use chemicals or preservatives, all methods are very simple, affordable and safe.
The most effective and convenient methods for storing whole lemons
There are several options for storing lemons at home. Here are the most effective in terms of obtaining the longest possible result( up to several months):
- In the sand. We take clean, carefully dried sand, you can even bake it in the oven. Pour it into a convenient container with a layer of about 3 cm. Each fruit, dry it, wrap it with parchment paper and spread it on the sand. Citrus we fall asleep 3-4 cm more sand and close the lid. We store the container in a dark, dry place. If the depth of the container allows, then make several layers of lemons.
- In wax. Quite troublesome and not the cheapest, but very effective way. During the processing of lemons, wax paper or wax can be used. In the first case, the products are wrapped in paper( each fruit separately) and laid out in a closable storage container. When using wax, it must be pre-melt in a water bath and apply a thin protective layer on each citrus with a brush. After solidification of the product, lemons are placed in a container. In order to preserve the fruit and not spoil their taste, the container should be regularly ventilated.
- In a vacuum. You can use a special device or resort to an effective folk method. We take a glass jar, lay out a few fruits in it, filling it in half, put a candle stump on top. We ignite the wick, close the container with a lid. When the air is over, the candle goes out, and the lemons in such an environment will be perfectly preserved for a long time.
Tip: Even if you simply remove the lemons in a dark place, you can expect a longer preservation of their freshness. In a bright place, the product can deteriorate in a matter of hours.
Here are a few more options how to store lemons, however, they will not give such a lasting result( not more than a week):
- In the fridge. If other techniques used at home are not available for technical reasons, or the fruit needs to be stored for literally a few days, you can simply put them in the desired compartment of the refrigerator. Pre-packing each fruit in a tracing paper or parchment paper, you can add them a few more days.
- In the water. To ensure that lemons do not dry, it is recommended to use containers with water, best if they are glass jars. Tare mine, dry, spread clean lemons and, fill the water, close the lid. The fluid must be changed every two days, washing the fruit.
The listed methods will show their effectiveness only when working with fresh, quality fruits without any traces of rot or softening. Even slightly rotten fruits from such an effect will quickly deteriorate.
How can I preserve the freshness of sliced fruit for a long time?
The cut lemon will not soften, dry and coat with white coating for several days if it is stored by one of the following methods:
- Take a saucer, sprinkle it with sugar, if in future the lemon is planned to be used as a dessert or a supplement to tea, salt ifthe fruit will go for making sauce or snacks. Lemon put on a saucer cut down and clean in the refrigerator or dark cool place.
- A fruit that goes for dessert or will be served to tea is best served candy. To do this, cut the fruit very thin plates, put it in a sealed plastic container and pour it with sugar. Not less popular with housewives and lemon-sugar mixture. In this case, the fruit is cleared of seeds and crushed together with sugar in a blender or meat grinder. To store such a product, a closable glass jar is ideal.
The proposed methods for storing aromatic citrus are simple, accessible, safe and time-tested. With their help, you can prepare food for a long time and do not worry for their safety. If desired, the same treatment can be subjected to fresh limes, but to store oranges or grapefruits, these approaches are not recommended.