Questioning should you occur to can freeze lemons? The good news is you can! Let me share with you my failsafe data to freezing lemons. For added bonus elements, this methodology works properly on completely different citrus fruits equal to oranges and limes.

I hate meals waste. Are you aware that 17% of the meals obtainable to prospects – in retailers, households, and consuming locations – goes straight into the bin? It’s a surprising statistic, notably on account of slicing meals waste will assist beat native climate change. On account of this truth I’m on a regular basis aiming to further reduce the amount of meals I waste.

I’ve already made big strides with this, and I now moreover compost meals waste. Nonetheless, undoubtedly there’s nonetheless additional that I would do to help reduce what I’m sending to compost. I on a regular basis suppose that composting must be the ultimate resort.

Citrus fruit, particularly, could be laborious to compost so it’s an excellent suggestion to utilize as quite a lot of it up as potential. With this data, you must use nearly the complete lemon with little or no waste.

How To Freeze Lemons

The good news is that with regards to citrus fruit, equal to lemons, you could freeze the zest and juice. What’s additional, the proper half is you can freeze explicit individual slices.

Isn’t that pretty revolutionary?! As an occasional gin drinker, the considered on a regular basis having a slice of lemon or lime helpful to garnish an impromptu gin is pretty good!

It’s not merely that though. Fairly often after I’m cooking or baking, the recipe requires the zest of a lemon or the juice of half a lime. What used to happen to me might be that the rest of the lemon or lime would sit going off throughout the fridge.

Now this wastage isn’t any additional. Any leftover lemon goes straight into the freezer for another day’s cooking, baking, or to be used in drinks.

The one part of a lemon I’m now disposing of is the pith. This composts much more efficiently than after I used to be composting lemon peel. Let me current you the best way!

The Zest

I’ve found freezing lemon zest to be an excellent technique to reduce meals waste. Considerably so when a recipe requires the juice of a lemon nevertheless not the zest.

To freeze the zest all I do is grate the lemon pores and pores and skin with a small grater. I then pop a teaspoon of zest into an ice-cube tray. Subsequent, I then add a few drops of lemon juice to the zest.

Freezing lemons on this methodology signifies that it’s very simple to return out one portion of zest everytime you need it. What’s additional, the addition of the juice retains the zest good and hydrated. No additional dried-up zest!

As quickly as frozen, you could take away the cubes from the tray. You presumably can then retailer the zest cubes in a container or a bag throughout the freezer, to help unlock your ice-cube tray for additional meals waste low cost movement!

I’ve tried a few methods of freezing lemon zest, and that’s positively top-of-the-line methods.

Some people say to solely add the zest to a small tub throughout the freezer, nevertheless you then should chisel off some zest when you can use it. Portioning the zest sooner than you freeze is much extra helpful as a result of it helps avoid this need for chiselling!

The Juice

My preferred method for freezing lemon juice is as soon as extra, the ice-cube tray method.

In case your recipe requires the juice of half a lemon, then merely squeeze the juice out of the redundant half. Then pour the leftover juice into ice-cube tray compartments, sooner than placing the tray throughout the freezer.

For easy portioning, one ice cube is identical as about two teaspoons of lemon juice. Two ice cubes are roughly half a lemon.

Now I don’t need to buy these little plastic lemons/limes filled with juice and I’m not dropping any lemons! Win!

As soon as extra, as quickly as frozen, you could pop the cubes of lemon juice in a shower or bag and protect them throughout the freezer. This means you don’t need to buy quite a few ice cube trays!

Don’t overlook to zest your lemon skins too!

The Slices

Purchased half a lemon or lime leftover from cooking?

Successfully, one different technique to freeze lemons or limes is to cut them into skinny slices. Subsequent, place them in a Tupperware container, after which pop them throughout the freezer.

To maximise space for storing, you could add additional layers of lemon slices. Merely be certain you add a layer of greaseproof paper between each layer so that your lemons don’t stick to 1 one other.

It’s a really useful technique to freeze citrus fruits. It means I’ve on a regular basis obtained a slice for drinks, equal to tea, or scorching water and lemon. Or for my boozy elderflower cordial!

The Peel

Whereas lemon peel isn’t one factor you might want to use in your cooking, you could freeze it and use it to make herb infused vinegar for cleaning with.

Merely place the peel in a bag throughout the freezer. Upon getting spherical three lemons worth of peel you could pop the peel in a jar of white vinegar (there’s no should defrost the peel), and depart it to steep for a minimum of a fortnight. The result is lemon-scented vinegar that’s good for cleaning your property.

In case you have got any leftover herbs you possibly can even pop this in with the lemon peel, for a lemon and herb-scented cleaning spray. Any leftover herbs will even be frozen until you’re capable of infuse the vinegar.

How Prolonged Can You Retailer Lemons Inside the Freezer For?

Frozen lemon juice, slices, and zest could be saved throughout the freezer for spherical six to eight months.

It’s good observe to label your tubs or baggage with what your objects are and the date on which you froze them. This helps eradicate meals waste further, as you aren’t left scratching your head making an attempt to remember what one factor is or how prolonged it’s been behind your freezer!

Can You Freeze A Whole Lemon?

Chances are you’ll be questioning should you occur to can merely skip all of these steps and easily freeze a whole lemon.

Technically speaking, then positive you could freeze full lemons. I merely personally select to not. It’s as a result of everytime you defrost the lemon it goes all clean and squidgy.

A defrosted lemon is totally advantageous for squeezing juice from. Nonetheless, you do lose the pliability to zest the lemon or decrease it into slices. I’d comparatively zest the lemon first after which save the juice, or slice sooner than freezing for drinks. Nonetheless, it’s your identify – you do regardless of works best for you.

And that’s my ultimate data to freezing lemons (and completely different citrus fruits!). On no account let one different lemon go to waste behind your fridge as soon as extra!

Check out the rest of my meals waste concepts for additional useful advice! I’ve obtained tons of posts, along with advice on freezing oat milk and freezing canned coconut milk.

Have to pin this publish for later?