By Niveditha Kalyanaraman
November 17th, 2023
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There's nothing quite like a fresh lemon. Its brightness adds a pop of color to the kitchen, while its tangy juice perfectly complements the fluffy topping of a lemon meringue and the frosting on a lemon-lime poke cake. But when you buy a few lemons (or a whole bag), you want to make sure you get every last drop of juice and every last inch of zest from them. That starts with storing lemons properly. Here are 5 tips to keep your lemons fresh.
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Refrigeration is key for keeping your lemons fresh for a long time. Lemons will also do well in a container outside of the crispers, in the main part of your refrigerator as well.
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Lemons are placed in a mason jar filled with water and then stored in the fridge. When stored this way, your lemons can remain fresh for up to three months.
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Lemons don't last very long if they're not stored correctly—the proverbial cool and dry environment is key to preventing your lemons from turning hard and dry. Plastic bags, however, can trap moisture, causing the lemons to spoil much quicker.
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One of the best ways to keep lemons fresh for longer is to store them separately. Certain fruits and vegetables, like melons, bananas, apples, tomatoes, and avocados, give off ethylene gas which speeds up the ripening of neighboring vegetables and fruits.
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If you end up with way too many lemons, consider freezing them. While the frozen lemons will be mushy when defrosted, their juices will remain intact. If you want to prevent this from happening, you can always juice your lemons first and freeze the juice instead.
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