How to store lemons for the winter at home, the best ways and conditions

People often wonder how best to store lemons at home. This can be done in different ways. To achieve good results, you need to familiarize yourself with the key rules for choosing citrus fruits and find the best method of storage. Lemons can be kept cool in the refrigerator. They are also often frozen, dried, used to make jam and other preparations.

How to choose the right fruit for long-term storage

To keep the shelf life as long as possible, you should choose only high-quality fruits. To do this, several criteria must be taken into account.

Appearance

Quality fruits are distinguished by a uniform color. They must be free of spots, stains or other defects.

Peel

A good fruit should have smooth skin. There should be no creases, depressions or saggy areas.

Elasticity

The skin of the fruit must be sufficiently firm. To do this, it is recommended to lightly press the surface of citrus fruits.

Maturity

Ripe lemons are bright yellow in color. Unripe fruits are greenish-yellow in color.

Feel

Quality citrus fruits have a very strong odor that can be smelled even through the skin.

Thickness

Good fruits have a thin skin. These fruits contain the maximum amount of useful components.

Citrus storage rules

In order to store lemons for a long time, a number of features should be taken into account.

Temperature

The optimum temperature for storing lemons should be + 6-8 degrees. Large fluctuations in parameters are unacceptable. A decrease in temperature indicators leads to the freezing of fruits. This causes them to soften. The increase in performance leads to rapid wilting and drying of the fruit.

Lighting

It is recommended to immediately remove fresh fruit to a dark place. They should not be exposed to the sun.

Humidity

Humidity settings should be 75-85%.

Neighborhood

Citrus fruits should not be placed next to fruits that have an intense aroma. The volatile aromas easily dissolve in the essential oils of lemons, giving them an unpleasant scent.

How to properly store for the winter

To preserve fruits for a long time, it is worth choosing a suitable method.

Fridge

To store lemons in the refrigerator, it is permissible to put them in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. For long-term storage, you should use the following methods:

1. Wrap fruit in parchment paper and refrigerate. Fruit should be sorted every 1-2 weeks.This will help you spot spoiled lemons in time.
2. Treat each lemon with sunflower oil and place it in the vegetable part of the refrigerator. In this way, it will be possible to store lemons for 2-3 months.
3. Put the fruit in an enamel bowl and cover with cold water. In this form, it will be possible to keep their freshness for a month. However, it is recommended to change the water daily.

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Cellar

To preserve fruit in a cellar, you must use the following methods:

1. Wrap each lemon in parchment paper and put them in boxes. Fruits should be laid with green birch branches. It is recommended to unpack the fruits every 3 weeks and dry them with a dry towel. They are then wrapped again with clean paper. Spoiled fruits should be removed in time.
2. Treat the lemons with unscented oil and place them on the shelves. It is important to ensure that the citrus fruits do not come into contact with each other. This will prevent the rot from spreading.
3. Rub the dried fruits and place them in a copper container. Place dishes on ice. Every 2 weeks, the fruits should be removed and wiped from moisture, without touching them with your hands. It is also worth wiping the sides of the pot and placing it on ice again. These fruits stay fresh for 3 months.
4. Wrap each lemon in paper and place it in a box filled with sand. It must be dry and clean. It is recommended to be supervised so that the fruits do not touch each other. Sprinkle the fruit with another layer of sand.

Balcony

If there is not enough space in the refrigerator for citrus fruits, you can fold them into wooden boxes and take them out to the balcony.This helps keep fruit fresh for 3-4 months.

To do this, you must do the following:

1. Wash the fruit with a brush and dry thoroughly.
2. Wrap each lemon in parchment paper.
3. Fill the container with sawdust. Dry sand will also work.
4. Fold the lemons in layers, sprinkle each layer with stuffing. There should be at least 5 centimeters of sand above the fruit layer.
5. Place the box on the balcony, out of direct sunlight.

In a dark pantry or closet

A dark pantry or cupboard is considered an ideal place for fruit. To keep fruits fresh, they should be treated with sunflower oil and placed in a convenient dish, then put in a dark place.

It is forbidden to keep fruits in a bag, because without drafts they can choke.

Methods of preserving cut fruit

Cut fruit can be stored in different ways. It can be done in salt or sugar.

In sugar

To do this, it is recommended to cut citrus fruits into circles and place them in a jar. Sprinkle them with sugar. So, the dishes should be completely filled, covered with a lid and put in the refrigerator. If the lemon has been cut, you can put the leftovers in a bowl of sugar. This is done with a downward cut. Top fruit should be covered with a cup.

With salt

Various methods can be used to preserve fruit in this way. In the first case, it is recommended to proceed as follows:

• washing and drying fruits;
• squeeze juice from a fruit;
• cut the remaining citrus fruits into circles and put them in a jar - put salt, bay leaf and a little cinnamon on the bottom of the container;
• fill the container with lemon juice and cover with salt to fill the voids;
• put in the refrigerator.

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There is also another way to preserve citrus fruits. To do this, you must do the following:

• choose strong fruits, put them in a container and pour salt water over them;
• put a load on it so that the fruits do not float;
• close and refrigerate.

Frozen

It is possible to significantly extend the shelf life with the help of a freezer. In this form, the fruits can be stored for a whole year. To prepare the fruit, you need to do the following:

1. Wash and dry the lemons.
2. Cut the fruit into thin slices.
3. Put in the freezer and leave to rest for 5 hours.
4. Place in bags or trays and return to freezer.

Sliced ​​on a saucer

If you need to save cut fruit, it is permissible to use an ordinary saucer. To do this, you must do the following:

1. Pour a small amount of salt or sugar into the container.
2. Put the fruit on it. This is done with a downward cut.
3. Then cover the fruit with a glass. Large fruits can be covered with a jar or cup.
4. Place the container in the refrigerator. Under such conditions, the fruits can be stored for 5-15 days.

How to extend the shelf life

The following methods will help extend the shelf life:

1. Place the fruit in boxes filled with sawdust. These containers must be kept in the basement. To extend the shelf life, each lemon is wrapped in paper.
2. Place fruit in airtight containers. To do this, the fruits are tightly placed in sterile containers, a burning candle is placed there and immediately rolled up. With the help of fire it is possible to burn oxygen. These fruits can be kept fresh for a long period of time.
3. Pour water over the fruit. They must be completely covered with liquid and placed in the refrigerator. The water is changed daily.

Features of storage of lemon products

You can make a variety of preparations from lemons. This can significantly increase the shelf life of the fruit.

Jam

To make lemon jam, follow these steps:

1. Prepare 1 kg of peeled fruit. You also need to take 1.5 kilograms of sugar and 500 milliliters of water.
2. Put all the ingredients in an enamel container and put on a small fire.
3. Boil the syrup in several stages. At first, the mixture should be boiled for 7 minutes, after which it should be infused for 10 hours. Then boil for 10 minutes and leave for 12 hours. At the final stage, lemons should be boiled for 15 minutes and poured into jars.
4. Turn the dishes over and let cool.
5. Store the part in a dark and cool place.

Candied fruit

For the production of candied fruits, it is recommended to soak the lemon peels in water for 3 days. Then the crusts should be doused with boiling water and cooked in sugar syrup. Finally, the candied fruits are dried in the oven.

honey lemon

The composition based on these products helps to cope with colds and viral diseases. This mix tastes great.

To prepare a healthy product, you need to do the following:

1. Wash and peel the fruit.
2. Grind the fruit with a blender.
3. Mix lemons with honey in a 2:1 ratio.
4. Place in a glass container and leave for half an hour. This is done at room temperature.
5. Then store it in a dark place. It is recommended to keep the product at a temperature of +10 degrees and a humidity of 70%.

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Zest

This product is very popular. It is actively used in desserts and bakery products. Crushed citrus zest gives food a pleasant aroma and avoids the addition of synthetics.

To preserve the zest, you must follow these steps:

• remove the yellow layer of the skin with a vegetable cutter;
• place thin plates on parchment;
• cover with gauze;
• place the product on the windowsill and control so that direct sunlight does not fall on it;
• after 2 days, transfer to a jar and store at room temperature.

With ginger

This effective remedy helps to cope with viruses and helps strengthen the immune system. To prepare it, you must do the following:

• wash and peel fruit;
• chop citrus fruits and grind with a meat grinder;
• remove the top layer of the ginger;
• chop the root with a grater;
• mix the ingredients and add the liquid honey;
• put the mass in jars and close tightly;
• refrigerate and keep for a maximum of 1 month.

Lemon juice

To make juice, you need to do the following:

• pour pieces of fruit and sugar into a juicer - 400 grams of granulated sugar is taken for 1 kilogram of fruit;
• when the juice is ready, it must be poured into jars and rolled up;
• turn over and cool.

Additional ways to save so you don't get spoiled

There are other ways to preserve lemons, all of which are considered very effective.

Drying

To extend the shelf life of cut fruits, you can dry them. To do this, the fruit is cut into small pieces and spread on a napkin. It must be dried within 3-5 days, constantly turning the fruits. It is also allowed to do this in a dryer or oven.

An effective drying method is to use a glass container or paper bags.These fruits are kept for 6 to 9 months.

Frozen

To freeze the fruit, it must be washed, dried and cut into pieces. Then put on a tray and freeze. After 4-6 hours, transfer the wedges to bags or trays and return to the freezer. It is allowed to store frozen lemons for 1 year.

interesting recipes

There are also quite interesting options for preserving the freshness of lemons. To do this, you can do the following with the fruit:

• smear with wax;
• sprinkle with sand;
• To dive in the water.

Common Mistakes

Inexperienced housewives make the following mistakes when storing lemons:

• store fruits in a plastic bag - high humidity and impaired air circulation activate decay processes;
• store fruits at room temperature - under the influence of hot air they quickly waste moisture;
• exposing lemons to direct sunlight - as a result, the fruits become covered with dark spots and lose vitamin C;
• keep fruits at too low a temperature - as a result, they lose useful elements and become soft and loose.

There are many ways to store lemons. This allows each housewife to choose the best option that will help preserve the maximum amount of vitamins.