How would you use a lot of lemons?

Question

We've got a lemon tree and an overabundance of lemons at the moment. Aside from lemonade, what should I do with them?

Answer 1

Well there are a myriad of nice lemon recipes of course. A decent lemon drizzle cake usually goes down well.

However, if you really have a glut, consider making a batch or two of lemon curd, or even preserving/pickling them like the North Africans do.

Answer 2

I would cook a lot of lemon recipes, make salad dressing, and juice the rest of the lemons and freeze the juice in ice cube trays, then onto freezer bags after they are set. If you are close to Seattle, WA I'll come over and pick a bushel or two. :)

Answer 3

I'd be most likely to go with Orbling's suggestion for lemon curd to use it up in large batches, but some other items that might be useful, depending on what cuisines you typically cook:

• preserved lemon (used in Moroccan cooking, basically just lemons & salt, optional spices)
• limoncello (alternate procedure) (sweetened lemon flavored alcohol)
• lemon granita (sweetened lemon ice)

Candying it works too, but I had way too much candied citron as a kid, so refuse to suggest that as a solution, as I can't stand the stuff.

... also, after juicing lemons, toss a peel down the garbage disposal (if you have one) -- it's like a toothbrush, scraping things free and deodorizes, too.

Answer 4

Try making candied lemon slices or peel. You can use any regular candied orange peel/slice recipe. Since you probably want to use the whole lemon, check these out:

http://userealbutter.com/2009/09/10/candied-lemon-slices-recipe/ http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2009/01/12/recipe-the-best-candied-orange-slices-in-the-world/ <-- takes two weeks (I'm trying it now)

If you have extra peels:

http://userealbutter.com/2007/10/09/candied-orange-peels-recipe/

Answer 5

Put some of them in the freezer for later!

I think it works really great. It allows you to have a summer cocktail in.. autumn! or winter! or spring! And you don't need to rush to the supermarket. I also have a stack of limes always ready. You know: mojito and all..

Answer 6

Lemon pickle is popular in India. This Sweet Lemon Pickle recipe here tells you how to prepare it in just 15 minutes.

You could try it with a small batch first to see if you like it.

Answer 7

Homemade lemon bars are always a hit with my family. If you are a big pie fan, there is always lemon meringue pie.

Lemon butter is always good paired with seafood. I am not sure how well it keeps since I have never personally made it, but thought I would give the suggestion.

Answer 8

• Salad dressing (especially Caesar)
• Iced tea
• Marinades
• Sauces, especially tomato sauces
• Sautéed veggies
• Stir fries

(you can use lemon in pretty much anything that needs a bit of oomph).

Answer 9

I agree with Izzydorio. Use ice trays to freeze it into cubes. You can then dump the cubes into freezer bags for longer storage. When you need some lemon juice, you can pull out a few cubes. I have done this for making ice tea. A few cubes in a pitcher and it mixes in on its own. Need lemonade, its even better.

I have even seen it used for making a punch base. Add a few cups of sugar to about a 1 quart container and freeze. You can make the punch using something like Sprite, or even better Champagne. :-)