How to Keep Lemons Fresh Longer
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Learn the easy secret to keeping your lemons and limes fresh longer. No more overripe citrus with this secret trick!
I have to keep lemons in the house at all times-for water, cooking, and cleaning! There’s not much worse when cooking than to grab a lemon, say to whip up some Lemon Greek Potatoes (one of my favorite recipes!) and go to juice it and it’s hard and totally dry inside.
No sir. Talk about a letdown! (And don’t get me started if that happened with a lime when I’m making my favorite cocktail!!)
That exact situation was happening all too often to me until I figured out a few years ago the secret to keeping lemons (and limes) fresh for UP TO A MONTH! Yes, that’s right! With this method I’ve kept citrus fresh for four weeks-boo-ya!
The secret is to keep the lemons refrigerated and here’s the kicker-immersed in water!! First, wash the outside thoroughly-you won’t believe the ickiness on the outside of citrus, believe me, there have been studies…you don’t want to slice those babies without cleaning them up, same for storing them!
After cleaning place in a large container-I use wide mouth mason jars for just a few or larger glass containers for an entire bag. Fill with water to cover the lemons completely and seal the top! That’s it! The coolness of the fridge and the lack of exposure to air keep the lemons perfectly juicy and ready for you to use when you’re ready!
Now-someone tell me the best way to keep apples fresh because it never fails that if I buy a few at a time my boys eat them in a day, if I buy the whole bag they get grainy before they get eaten!!!
Love all the information about fruit I’m trying them all. Keep them coming
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful info.
A while ago I picked a lot of beautiful apples from a friend’s tree in Autumn, took them home and simply had them in a fruit bowl on the kitchen counter, consuming them gradually. They did NOT deteriorate and were deliciously crisp and juicy to the last one, which I ate 10 weeks later! I was amazed and concluded that what we buy in supermarkets is generally NOT fresh at all, but has been languishing in cool rooms for who knows how long and, by the time we buy it, it is literally dying to die! Fact. So please try to access truly freshly-picked fruit wherever possible … support the individual grower selling at roadside stalls or country markets. The taste and quality are proof.
that’s a really good point!
WHEN YOU SAY “SEAL THE TOP”. ARE YOU JUST PUTTING A LID ON IT?
Yes Kathy!
Do you slice the lemons or leave them whole?
Doubt? I put the lemon submerged in the water and it will conserve for longer? It is? And he will not bitter?
yes, that’s right Silmara!
these are fake comments.
You’re a fake person. So I’m talking to the fake person.
Thanks for the lemon tip- I have a lemon tree and they often get ripe close about same time.
I wrap my apples individually in newspaper and store in refrigerator. They last 5 months that way and stay crisp and delicious!
Jane D
That’s a great tip on the apples-I’ll definitely try that Jane, thank you! ~Melissa
Newspapers have millions of germs on them I would not recommend using them to stir fruit
Great tips for all this stuff. Tired of my lemons getting moldy. And each time I use a lemon. I wash outside of lemon before slicing. Thanks for all tips.
You’re very welcome Sandra-very smart about washing the lemon first, you never know what is on the outside! ~Melissa
Does this work for oranges, too?
Our local apple orchard recommends storing apples in a ziplock bag with a moist paper towel. They last several months!
Great tips about the lemons. Do you know approximately how long the lemons will stay fresh this way. It will give me an idea how many to buy when they go on sale. Love your blog. !!!
I use mine pretty quickly but they’ve lasted at least three weeks like this
Thank you for the quick response.
Great tip! And the water can be consumed, once all the lemons have been used up, right?I mean– ready made lemon water:)
Have you ever tried storing sliced apples in orange juice? Keeps them crispy, juicy, and isn’t as tart as if they have lemon juice on them.
No, I’ve not tried that Sherrie but I am definitely going to try it now! Thanks for the tip!
Did you know that keeping avocados in water prevents them from going brown after they’ve been cut? It may make them a bit soft but it works.
I hadn’t heard that one Julie-thanks for sharing-I love avocados!
I’ve been keeping our apples in their bag in the fridge and they seem to last forever! I’ve heard keeping them in a bag protects your other fruits from something that apples emit!?!
I’ve stored them in a brown paper bag in the fridge and they have always lasted a lot longer than just in the fruit bin of the fridge.
What a fabulous tip! I love using lemons. Have a great week Melissa!
Thank you Debbie-you too!!
That is so cool! We hate it to when our lemons go bad so this is really good to know 🙂
Years ago an apple grower told me to put my apples in a zip lock bag and in the coldest part of the refridgerator. I do this and keep the apples good for months.
Great tip! I’ll try that Judy!
Try keeping the apples in a bowl on the table or counter. That way they get seen quickly and are more likely to be eaten first.
Funny thing about apples is where do stores keep them??? Not refrigerated just in the open air of the store.