Have you ever got a big bag of lemons only to have half of them turn moldy? Here are three ways to preserve fresh lemons for future use.
How long does it keep?
Preserving, after all, is a way to keep the food from spoiling for a long time. Salt, sugar, and honey are traditional methods of preserving.
Some regions use salt to dry meat to use it in winter. Sugar also is used for preserving, mainly fruits, either in the form of jams or candy. People also used honey on wounds to prevent them from infection.
Today we have refrigerators and freezers, so preserving lost its popularity. However, these old recipes may come in handy for folk who want to stay away from synthetic preservatives.
They should keep well in a cool place for months, as long as you keep them air-tight and use a clean utensil at each use. When in doubt, keep them refrigerated. They will keep for at least four months. Unfortunately, I can’t give you an exact answer since we go through them faster than that.
1) Honey lemons for your herbal teas
Imagine the days you got the flu or the cold and had no power to squeeze a lemon for your tea. This recipe made it easy to add lemons with honey all at once to our teas.
2) Sugar Lemons
Sugar lemon is very similar to honey lemon but uses sugar instead. The juice that comes out of this preserve is so delicious can add flavor to your water, cake batter, or other sacks.
3) Salt-preserved lemons
This one is a Moroccan specialty. First, split the lemons into quarters without going through the opposite end. Then coarse salt is generously inserted in between the wedges.
Then the lemons are packed tight in a clean jar. Shut the lid close and set it in a cool dark place for four weeks. After the time is over, the lemons will turn soft and easy to smash into a paste. The resulting juice will have a thick syrupy consistency.
What to consider when using salt?
The salt and lemon juice combination might rust the metal lid or ring. When choosing the jar to store the salted lemons, try to use metal-free ones. Otherwise, keep the rim clean and dry after each use.
