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If you live in the south, it’s citrus time. Late winter and early spring is the perfect time for picking lemons, grapefruits, limes and oranges. Preserving extra citrus juice is easy – here’s how to freeze lemon juice in jars. Works for any kind of citrus juice.
We love freshly squeezed juice. We also love southern California, so we try to get down there every year. It’s a wonderful place to spend part of the winter.
So when we drive home from California, we always bring bags and bags of citrus with us. We just store the bags of fruit in our cold room. Over time we juice it up to drink fresh as our home made lemonade.
Freeze Lemon Juice in Jars
But there comes a point when the citrus is in danger of drying out, so here’s what I do to preserve the juice. I grab all the bags and bring them up to the kitchen, where my juicer is waiting.
Today, I juiced up the last of the lemons – 2 bags, each weighing 5 pounds. This juicer? I LOVE it and it has lasted for years.
It’s a Black & Decker Electric Citrus Juicer and I highly recommend it.
Just slice the fruit in half, set it on the cone and push down. Perfect and easy! And this juicer does a great job of separating the pulp and pits. You can choose the amount of pulp you want in your juice too.
As the carafe below the juicer fills up, I pour it directly into clean mason jars.
The, I add a seal and a ring. Each one then goes in the upright freezer. I always keep the jars in the door of the freezer, just in case.
Be sure to NOT fill the jar all the way! If a jar is too full, it may crack in the freezer. So leave lots of head room.
When I want some lemon juice for either a drink or to include in a recipe, I can just pull a jar out of the freezer and move it into the fridge.
It thaws in the fridge and we can use it how we like. We can make Popsicles for a hot afternoon.
We love chicken baked with lemon – try our recipe.
Just be sure to give the jar a good shake right before you use the juice. Just like you would with a store bought bottle of lemon juice.
Here’s the finished result – remember to be sure and leave more head space than usual in the jars so the glass doesn’t break when the juice freezes.
That small pint jar on the right will be going straight into the fridge. I’ll use that one up first, so I could fill it all the way to the top.
Lemon Recipes for you to enjoy
Mediterranean Lemon Chicken – so so good!
This quick and easy home made Lemonade tastes so delicious on a hot summer day.
Feel like doing some baking? This Lemon Loaf with a Rosemary Glaze is sure to please.
Want more information on the juicer I use and love?
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