Squeezing the most out of your lemons and limes

in Condiments, Cooking Techniques, Desserts, General Info, Recipes

One of my favorite sayings is “Waste not, Want not”. Getting the most bang for the buck out of my basket is one way I do that. I also find it kind of fun to find new ways to use every part of my basket.

Step 1: I always give them the good old vinegar and water bath for 1 hour. This cleans the skins so I can safely use them later on. I use 1 cup vinegar to 8-9 cups of water and soak my produce. I then rinse and dry them.

 

Step 2: Get the microplane out and get as much rind off them as humanly possible. . Be sure to only get the rind as the white part is bitter.

Step 3: Microwave the lemons and limes for 1 minute. This helps to get the juices flowing. I then let them cool down a bit before rolling them with the palm of my hand. Apply slight pressure to help get even more juice.

Step 4: Cut in half and squeeze the juice out of them. I like to do this in a bowl or measuring cup so that I can get the seeds out if any fall into it.

Step 5: Measure 2 tablespoons into each ice cube tray and freeze. When they are frozen remove and put into a freezer bag. Label the bag with the date, type of juice and amount of juice per cube.

The zest goes into the dehydrator for 3 hours or until completely dry.

 

  • 1 lemon or lime has about 2 tablespoons of juice in it

Use up some of that wonderful juice in this recipe.

Print
Best ever lemon bars

Ingredients

  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. In a medium bowl blend together butter, 2 cups flour, and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9X13 pan.
  3. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over baked crust.
  4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. The bars will firm up as they cool.
  5. Hint: Use lime juice and a few drops of green food coloring for lime bars.

 

Cindy

One Comment

  1. Shannon Bedingfield
    January 18, 2015 at 8:49 am  ·  Reply

    Cindy,

    When you dehydrate the lemon zest, are you using an electric dehydrator, or some other method? If it is an electric dehydrator, what kind of trays do you use? I read in another source about putting a couple of layers of cheese cloth down to keep smaller pieces (zest) on the tray and wasn’t sure if this would work or not.

    Thank you,
    Shannon

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