Kitchen Tip- Lemons Anyone?

 Do you ever have a recipe that calls for lemon juice or lemon peel? Do you buy a lemon or two just for those recipes? If so, I bet you have had lemon slices left over. And if you’re like me, they would usually end up in the garage. Ever wonder what to do with those? I used to- until I tried freezing a lemon!

 

Lemons for Later

Lemons do well in the freezer, and they do fairly well during defrosting. The only difference between a defrosted lemon and a fresh lemon is the amount of juice. When you slice into a previously frozen lemon, more liquid leeks out than usual. The only time this might be a problem is when you want to serve slices of lemon with a dish-a salad or seafood maybe. I would stick to fresh lemons for that purpose J



Fresh Lemons



Frozen Lemons



Here’s how to do it

Depending on what you need from your lemons will depend on how you freeze them. Here are the steps I suggest.

1- Use a citrus zester to peel the zest from the lemon. (You don’t want to do this after it’s defrosted!) Store in a small container or baggie and put it in the fridge.

*If you don’t have a zester, no worries! You can use a fine grater to zest your lemon.

Love the lines in the lemon :)

  

2- Cut you lemons into quarters

This will allow you to pull out just enough of what you need for juicing.



3- Place the slices on a piece of parchment or wax paper with a cookie sheet under it. Set it in the freezer for an hour or so until the outside is firm and transfer it to a freezer safe container.





*In my measurements, one quarter lemon gives about 1 tbsp of juice.

I hope this little tip will help you save money and reduce waste!

Ideas for using your lemon juice- lemon blueberry pancakes, lemon & garlic pasta sauce, lemon frosting, lemon poppy seed muffins, lemon cheesecake…..I think I’m officially hungry!

Do YOU have a favorite lemon recipe?