Empty shelves in the supermarkets present the appearance that people around the country are stocking up their lockdown larders. If you have purchased one too many lemons while shopping, are you able to preserve these for longer by freezing them?
Supermarkets across Britain have made significant steps to tackle panic buying.
Some retailers have chosen to implement purchasing limits, while others have altered their opening hours.
The British Retail Consortium’s Andrew Opie told Sky News: “Retailers across the country are working closely with police and other partners to keep retail sites running as smoothly as possible.
“Any forms of abusive or violent behaviour will not be tolerated and retailers will continue to work with the police to protect their staff and customers.”
Can you freeze lemons: Is it possible to freeze lemons? (Image: GETTY)
Can you freeze lemons?
Lemons are a versatile citrus fruit which can be used in a variety of sweet and savoury meals, as well as a garnish or even as a cleaning ingredient.
Lemons however, like many fresh fruit, can turn bad very quickly.
From fresh, they tend to last just two to four weeks, or even less time if you cut them.
But you can make them last much longer if you freeze them.
How to freeze whole lemons
To freeze whole lemons you should place them in a ziplock bag and force out all the excess air out of the bag.
When there is no air left in the bag, you should zip it all up and place the bag of lemons in the freezer.
After then, you should put them in the freezer until they are fully frozen which could take anywhere from two hours to overnight.
To defrost the lemons, you should submerge them in cold water for 10 minutes.
How to freeze lemon slices
To make frozen lemon slices you should cut your lemon into slices or wedges before you freeze them.
Freezing them in slices will circumvent the soft consistency of the middle so you can use them in cocktails and as garnishes.
You should cut the lemon at a thickness of around a quarter of an inch.
Later you should lay the lemon slices on a cookie sheet and place it in the freezer after which you should transfer the slices to a ziplock bag.
How to freeze lemon zest
To freeze lemon zest you should use a grater, zester or microplane to zest the lemons.
Then you should place the zest into a ziplock bag and seal it.
Next you must place the bag inside a freezer for a couple of hours or overnight until it all freezes.
When you are ready to use it you can take out what you need and place it back in the freezer.
How to freeze lemon juice
To make frozen lemon juice, you will need to start by juicing your lemons with a reamer, juicer or even using a fork to extract the juice.
You should measure your juice and then remove any seeds which may have come loose when you juiced the lemon.
Next you should pour the lemon juice into ice cube trays and pop them in the freezer.
Keeping lemon juice frozen in ice cubes will allow you to keep the lemon juice fresh for a longer period of time.