I am very careful when I endorse any product. First of all because most items that would be worthy of endorsement come without marketing or hype - broccoli, onions, quinoa etc. But once in a while I find something that makes a difference especially in my budget and then it’s time to share.
I am big fan of citrus - if you missed my enthusiastic endorsement - read it here. To keep lemons and limes fresh is not as easy as one would think. First of all, I find that regular lemons at 3 for two dollars - this week at the local supermarket - are really a rip off and second these lemons rarely make it past two weeks in the refrigerator - so really not a good deal. On the other hand a squirt of lemon makes so many things more tasty. For instance if you are trying to cut back on your salt intake, nothing works better than a squirt of lemon in your stir-fry or salad dressing to wake up the flavors. And here is the other problem - whereas uncut lemons last at least a couple of weeks - a cut lemon is do or die. If you don’t use all the juice - the lemon will not last more than a day or two in the fridge.
When I came across the little yellow and green bottles in my health food store’s produce section I actually was a bit turned off by the fact that they managed to come up with yet another plastic product - but since actually having had a chance to use them I have to admit that I am hooked. These little marvels are extremely convenient - the juice is from organic lemons - usually way out of my budget range - and they last forever. On the container the advertised expiration date is 6 months - and I am pretty sure they could go even longer. There are no preservatives other than citric acid and you do have to keep them in the refrigerator - always a good sign - if something has the ability to spoil it means it is not quite dead. For about 2$ you buy yourself two months worth of lemons - even if you use as much as I do. Like I said: I am hooked!
2 comments:
You can also fill a glass jar with fresh lemon or lime slices, cover with water and refrigerate. This will preserve them quite a while. I think it took a year before my grandmother's started to grow little white slime. They may have lived longer if the water had gotten changed. Also there's a powder for both lemon and lime near the sugar or salt section in the grocery store. I have them at home. I'll let you know the brand later.
I have heard about the powder - but have never been able to find one that does not contain ingredients which are barely able to pass as "food". I would love to know the brand you are talking about.....
Post a Comment