See that thing on the side bar that says "Tip of the Week"? Yes you mean that tip that has changed oh 1 in the entire time? Yep that's the one!! Well this post was going to be a little tidbit for there but the more I thought about it the more I had to say. Lemons!! Lemons are great little buggers and are really pretty useful. If you are anything like me I run across recipes that call for fresh lemon juice or lemon zest and I don't have any. La sigh :(. So usually the next trip to the store I end up picking some up and then they sit because I can't remember what I was going to use them for. So then after about a week or so the skins start to look a little sad.....
This is where the tips come in. My husbands grandfather is a chef. He has studied all over the world and has won some pretty major competitions, (at least that is my guess his trophies/plates are all in French). He gave me this fantastic idea to do with the lemons before they go bad. Start by juicing them, then you freeze the juice. I suppose you could even zest them and put the zest in with the juice if you desire. Grandpa Hans puts his juice in ice cube trays and then when he wants a glass of lemonade one cube and couple spoonfuls of sugar and water, and TA DA you have a single size serving of fresh lemonade.
I put the juice in freezer bags and toss them in the freezer. Then when I need it I thaw off as much as I need and away I go. This can be done with all citrus juice!
Another thing that you could do with the leftover peel is to stick them in a bottle or jar and fill the jar with vinegar. Wait one week and you have a completely green, chemical free, super cleaner that combines the power of citrus and vinegar. Remove the lemon peels and mix 1 part cleaner to 1 part water and use anywhere! This could also be done with limes, oranges, or even grapefruit.
Garbage disposal a little stinky?? Next citrus fruit you peel stick the peels down the disposal and run. Then your drain will smell much better!
Hope you find at least one of these tips helpful!
