This Is How I Keep Lemons For An Entire Year

Learn how to store lemons for an entire year with this fermented lemon recipe. You can use the lemons just like fresh lemons and the taste is incredible!

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Howdy! I'm so glad you're here. I'm Melissa from Pioneering Today and a 5th generation homesteader where I'm doing my best to hold onto the old traditions in a modern world and share them with others.

Click any of the below links for FREE resources and training to help you on your homestead!

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#howtostorelemons #fermentedlemons #preservedlemons

[koogle]

I bought a bag of lemons at costco for $6.00. I have an electric citrus juicer so I juiced & strained them. Into a ziploc & froze it flat. I easily shave away what I need for cooking etc from the frozen block which takes a fraction of the space (& work) of preserved whole lemons. It always tastes exactly like fresh squeezed & it is very easy to draw from. Did this with limes after throwing away 1 too many dried out ones. Fast/easy/minimal space in freezer.

[sabinadonofrio]

Simply wash them and soak them overnight in baking soda. Rinse and pile it un the clean jar. Cut one up and squeeze some juice in the water, pack it in and fill with filtered water. Its kept for up to two years. No salt, just fresh lemon rind water to drink daily. Its a great curative for gut health and it lasts. Just add back the water you drink daily. Drink the little bits from the open lemon and use the open one for tea or juice. Then you can open up another one. Squeeze some juice. Rinse and add it back to the jar for more lemon flavored water. Its the freshest water on a hot day. Lemon rind water is great for your health. A great Thirst quencher!!😊

[robavor]

That’s a lot of fridge space for the average family. I love keeping lemons for cooking etc. My technique: First I zest about 10 lemons. I then freeze-dry the zest. You can also dehydrate the zest with a household dehydrator. We use the zest in cooking or to make our own lemon pepper. Then, Using a citrus press I squeeze the 10 lemons and freeze the juice in ice trays. Then transfer the lemon ice cubes into a zip lock for use throughout the year. It may be more work at the front end but it certainly makes for easier storage.

[Chocoholiclady]

Jars are super expensive especially 1/2 gal and 1 gal sizes that I like to use for some of my fermenting. Here the 1 gallon jars costs about 35 to 38 dollars each. However ... I can buy 1 gallon jars of store brand/off brand commercial pickles from one of our two local stores really CHEAP (less than 6 dollars). Although I don't like to waste food, I have to toss their very nasty tasting pickles and brine 🤢🤮 (if I start to feel guilty all I have to do is taste one and the guilt completely disappears) and I keep the jars and lids for my fermenting.

[tinakempling]

If you are looking for fresh lemon juice, squeezing the lemons and freezing the juice in cubes (I use an ice cube tray) and wrapping the cubes and putting them in a silicone freezer bag uses up less actual fridge/freezer space, and lasts up to 6 months. I buy lemons on sale, and do this for all of my cooking as it tastes exactly like fresh lemon juice. Super fast and convenient. You can also water bath can lemon juice - only needs 5 minutes of processing time, to have a chemical free lemon juice for baking and canning, and is shelf stable.

[Jenny-Jo]

O my gosh! I love this video, thank you! I also have your book Everything Worth Preserving but a video is awesome too. I got a baby lemon tree, really a 1.5' bush and it now has 45 lemons growing and 20 More blooms and still We will be needing this, lol!

[marianneporter]

I’ve been placing my store bought lemons in glass jars under water and then into the fridge for awhile now and I can’t believe how much longer they last! Just started with avocado and that was amazing too!

[glf]

Tried her method and Love it. My lemons are still good after a year. Of course they are refrigerated and they have a little of the salty brine now, but I really like the flavor and I'm still enjoying lemons. OH and I love eating the peel with that tangy salty taste. Nice!

[jessicacox]

I love this idea just to keep them from going bad on my countertop. Yes i can go buy some if i need them, but this is a great way to keep from needless waste! I always buy more than I need and it's so nice just to have them on hand always 🙂

[lilasdavis]

I bought your Preserving Book and got it today 😃.
This will be so much fun to try your recipes and will start with the whole lemons…..🍋
Thank you Melissa !

[pamdemaray]

I love Redmond salt as well it's all I use . I tossed all the white bleached salt and made the switch. I made a watermelon electrolyte drink in a gallon jar and that salt has the best flavor plus all the minerals that are taken out of white salt . I like your channel I just stumbled onto it . Good information, because I love lemons 🍋. Thank you for all the great help

[Ashley-hpvn]

I know another method; 🌞put the each lemon in a plactic bag, close it very tightly and put it into a fridge. I've tired it, still after 6 months they are all ok. It's a simple way to keep them fresh for a long time.

[wj]

You don't need salt, or to cut them open. I have some in my fridge going on almost 2 years and they look brand new. All I did was clean them, put them in a jar, and the upside-down top of a plastic bottle to keep them below the water level.

For people saying, "That's a lot of fridge space!" the survivalist way of doing this would be to dig/drill a giant hole in your basement with a cap. Then lower them down into it with a bucket filled with cold water. They will last well over a year.

[victoriablanc]

I never wanted to do this bc you usually can only use the skins and it wastes most of the lemon. this is much better. I love lemons and I don't want to waste half of the lemon. I want the pulp and the juice. I will try this ASAP. amazing

[madmecyr]

Great! I resisted doing the wedge method just because of the saltiness; so glad you tried this. Doing this today! Also made my first recipe out of your book, the pulled pork yesterday. All jars sealed. Can't wait to crack one open; maybe on my next sour dough baking day I'll make nice hamburger buns to put in on.

[Brineytoes]

I grow some over-achieving Meyer lemon plants in pots that produce a plethora of fruit that can’t all be used quickly, so I will give this a try with my next harvest! Thanks for doing the experiment with whole lemons and the video!

[patriciametzler]

Very informative video! For North African and South Asian savory dishes, like lemon and olive chicken tajine, the traditional cut method is standard because you usually only use the rind (after scraping out the pulp), rinsed and cut into small strips. It retains the perfect amount of salt and lemon flavor. Some people will use the pulp as well, it depends on the dish. I spent some time in Morocco in the '70s, fell in love with the cuisine and have been cooking it regularly ever since. I don't bake often, but I will definitely utilize your non-cut method here for a batch so that I'll have some stored for out of season. (Who wants to pay $3 per lemon?!)

[suzdawg]

I grow some lemon trees (in pots and they come in during the winter) and this is the second time I’ve done this. My first batch of Meyer Lemons will be a year old in March 2024, and my second batch are New Zealand Lemonade lemons. I’m so thankful to have found this method of preservation!

[trapped]

Oh my word!!!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank I have been trying to figure a way to preserve lemons without all that salt. I don’t particularly care for that much salt on a lemon and like you said you can’t really use it for any kind of sweets. Oh I’m so glad I will start this immediately. I will go to the store tomorrow and get lemons. Thank you again I am so happy. I probably will do maybe a couple of them in a small jar and leave them for over a year and see how long I can keep going with them. I’m so excited.😂

[emagnum]

One thing you didn't mention that would seem logical to me would be upon removing lemons from the jar, you would need to add additional brine to keep the others in the jar fully submerged? Also, have you tried this with other citrus such as regular limes, key limes, tangerines, grapefruit or oranges?