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How to keep whole lemons fresh
If you purchased whole lemons in bulk and want to keep them fresh, store them in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer. “Fruits naturally ripen slower in the fridge as the cooler temperature slows everything down,” Natalie Alibrandi, food scientist and CEO of Nali Consulting, previously told Well+Good. When sealed in a plastic bag or container, lemons can stay fresh for about a month. Just be careful not to store them with produce that releases ethylene, such as apples and bananas, as it can hasten the lemons’ ripening process.
How to keep cut lemons fresh
Once you’ve cut into a lemon, they’ll only stay fresh for up to a week in the fridge, according to celebrity chef and nutritionist Serena Poon. That’s because when the fruit is exposed, they quickly lose moisture and are left susceptible to bacteria, as opposed to whole lemons that have the rind fully intact to serve as a protective barrier for the fruit’s edible insides. With this in mind, Poon recommends storing them in the same way you would whole lemons—in a plastic bag or container in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer to protect from oxidation and rotting.
