New & NowKitchen Hacks
The Secret to Keeping Lemons Fresher, Longer
by Valerio Farris
• January 8, 2018
• 22 Comments
In the slog of winter, citrus provides an electric respite. Behind a thick peel, sharp and vibrant wedges are seasonal starbursts. I, for one, never pause to order an orange from an outdoor fruit vendor, its insides made cold and unexpectedly refreshing by icebox temperatures. I always have spare oranges for snacking and lemons/limes for squeezing into salad dressings or bringing light to avocados in my kitchen. They roll around my crisper drawer or across my countertop, and sometimes get lost behind the jars at the top of my fridge. I forget about them and, as if in response to my negligence, they spite me by shriveling up.
A withered lemon is not only quite sad to behold, but pretty much useless. So imagine my delight when I happened upon this hack to keep citrus fresher, for longer. Like any good hack it’s simple, efficient, and proven to work. The hack comes from the folks at Food.com, now Genius Kitchen.
As you could probably guess, keeping citrus at its peak is all about moisture. So how do you keep that moisture inside the porous fruit before it seeps into the air? To prevent this process, citrus should be kept in an environment with high humidity. Keep citrus in a bowl of water in your fridge, sayeth the hack. This means of storage, they claim, can keep your fruits feeling—and tasting—fresh for up to three months.
This isn’t the only citrus-preserving recommendation the internet has got up its sleeve, however. Other resources suggest keeping your fruits in the fridge in tightly sealed Ziploc bags. This creates a small scale humid environment and prevents that lemon from losing too much liquid.
So there you have it, two methods to make that lemon, orange, grapefruit, last a lot longer. In a season so bitterly cold, don't let your citrus go the way of our chapped lips (aka, keep them plump and moisturized).
How do you store your citrus? Let us know your tricks in the comments below.
Comments (22)
Showing out of comments
I wash meyer lemons in water with white vinegar, dry them and store them in mesh bags in the fridge. Meyers produce year round so I am usually drowning in lemons from my one little tree.
I live in California. We store them on the tree, where they last for months!
I use Ziplock bags to keep lemons fresh. Works great.
Vouching for the ziplock to keep uncut lemons. No mold as long as they are dry when then go in the bag. I have kept lemons for weeks on end that way.
When it rains it pours here in California with regards to lemons and rain. Do not pick..they last on the tree a long time, leave stem as its removal exposes fruit to bacteria. You can freeze them whole and make the most wonderful slushes with ice and pieces of ginger and a bit of stevia and water. I think this would work with a shriveled lemon too. Moroccan salted lemon sounds is a great way to preserve, candied lemon peel and give to friends if you are lucky to have a tree!
I learned the Ziploc bag trick from America's Test Kitchen. Key, though, is removing all the air. Don't just seal it.
My OCD brain focused on her lemons rolling around in the fridge. Or was that just written for “color.” My lemons and limes are always in the same place, the flatter fridge drawer, in their own open container, (on the left side) :) Cut lemon halves are just popped upside down into a tiny bowl or plate and they keep
perfectly.
:)... The era of "old dogs" (lol sorry ladies speaking for myself as I'm 41 and really excited about finally knowing how to look after my organic lime and oranges!!) being unable to learn new tricks is definitely long gone xx
Chris is a trusted source on General Cooking
My experience is that withered citrus may not be good for zest, but it has great juice. Plastic bags or wraps seem to promote bacteria and mold growth, while just leaving fruits bare dries the peel but preserves the insides. So, first I leave them on the tree, then on the counter, and then finally in the refrigerator, but never with a cover, including and especially if I’ve cut them in half.
I always wash my lemons with my 7th Generation Liquid Dish soap, rinse them and allow them to air dry on a dry towel.... this removes any mold spores that they might have picked up on their journey to your kitchen. I then put them into the meat keeper drawer in the fridge and they keep for many weeks....
Has anyone tried keeping lemons in a glass jar (like a Mason jar) either with or without water, instead of a plastic bag? I'm trying to reduce not only our rate of molding citrus fruit, but also our use of plastic.
I'm willing to try both and report back on what works. *grabs some lemons*
Yes, I keep mine in a large glass jar in water in the fridge, works great. I also hate using plastic if I don't have to; I've recently started requesting no straw at restaurants when ordering a drink (including water) for this reason. Every bit helps.
One-use plastics are destroying the ocean. The ziplock bag we use today will out live our grandchildren, who will have to survive alongside it.
So what's wrong with reusing your ziplock until it's no longer decent if all you're doing is keeping lemons? I wash and reuse them for these purposes.
Not having read about citrus storage, I stumbled on the ziplock idea a few years back on my own. It works great. I usually try to make sure the fruit is completely dry before sealing, yet often when removing some time later, there's a film of water on the citrus. I've been surprised mold hasn't been part of the picture. I think the key is that the fruit is intact; the unbroken peel seems to be superbly anti-microbal.
And I wash them first in a vinegar/water bath to kill any unseen mold. Then air dry. Helps, I think
Yay! thanks soo much for the tips I can't wait to try them out :). Happy New Year! X
So, which technique works better? An article just tossing out things from the internet isn't really very helpful. I would prefer an article with some actual information as to which method works.
Shriveling is only one issue. Mold seems to be at least as much a problem for me. The plastic bag seems as if it would be a mold accelerator.
I agree! the two links provided are also second hand references (thisisinsider.com and popsugar) and neither seem to have bothered to try it, either. I went searching for a photo to see how the lemons were stored in the water, exactly (do they have to be covered, or what)
I've just come to this article, and you'll be happy to know that the second link now is to America's Test Kitchen. They tried storing in several ways and reported on the best.
I wash my lemons with 7th Generation Dish liquid, rinse them well and allow them to air dry on a clean towel. I then put them into the meat keeper drawer in the fridge [no meat in it] and they keep for many weeks... the soap washed any mold spores so they keep longer :)
pierino is a trusted source on General Cooking and Tough Love.
I love this idea. My small allocation of meyer lemons is precious and can't be wasted.
Showing 22 out of 22 comments