This post is going to seem a bit out of place, seeing that it is only August, however unfortunately as much as we do not want to see it Fall & Winter is right around the corner.
A friend was talking with me the other day and said she wished that there was a way of storing citrus fruits, when they were in season for future use. Everyone gets tired of buy a bag of lemons, limes and oranges just to look in the bag and half has molded before you can get to them.
Years ago I learned from a Mennonite woman about freezing your citrus fruit. She told me all you do is put your bags of fruit in the freezer and get them as you need them. We have done this for many years. With big box stores like Costco they are in season in some country different times through the year.
Costco also carries types of lemons, limes and oranges not commonly found in all stores, such as Meyer Lemons, Key Limes, and blood oranges. You can not buy these but for brief times during the year, and don’t always want to make endless beverages, pies and tarts while they are in season. We have even frozen grapefruits.
Defrosting – You can defrost at room temperature, or in the microwave about 30 seconds on high, will be just right. Also before slicing to juice the yield of juice will be greater if you roll the whole fruit between the palm of your hand and the counter will help in breaking down the pulp which holds most of the juice.
You will notice that you get more juice from fruits that have been frozen as well. Zesting is easier to do on the frozen fruits, whether you use a zester or a rasp style grater (like you use for nutmegs). The peel of the fruit in the case of oranges and lemons stay bight, limes vary, some varieties I have found range from light green to olive, so with any of the fruits you will have to decide if the color is appealing to you or not, however the main thing is that you can have fresh juice anytime of the year this way.
