Picking a ripe, juicy lemon comes down to two things - ABC Everyday
Winter may be a season of dormancy for many plants, but for citrus trees – like lemons – this is when they are at their best.
Melbourne-based fruitsmith Thanh Truong (aka The Fruit Nerd) shares some tips for choosing the right lemons and the best way to cut and store them.
If you want to grow your own lemons, she says there’s a trick to growing a big, juicy lemon tree—and it has to do with the type of fertilizer you use.
How to choose a juicy lemon
What signs should you pay attention to when choosing a ripe, juicy lemon? Thanh says it’s all in the skin texture.
“A smooth lemon rind represents ripeness or ripeness,” he says.
“That means there’s more juice and it’s heavier, while the one picked is a little undercooked [will] wavy and won’t have much juice in it.”
Farmers usually harvest lemons as they go from white to yellow, so if you buy lemons from the supermarket, Thanh recommends choosing those “at the darker yellow stage.”
There are several varieties of lemon grown in Australia: Eureka, Lisbon and Meyer (each with different benefits). If you are a fan of citrus fruits like Thanh, then the Meyer lemon could be a good choice for you.
“This is my favorite lemon,” he said.
“It’s half lemon and half mandarin, which gives it both qualities – there’s the smell and the perfume and the sweetness of the mandarin, but there’s the sourness and the smell of lemon.
“My hack if you can’t buy a Meyer lemon, is to squeeze one part lemon and one part mandarin and you get that perfect, zesty, sweet scent,” she says.
Peeing on your lemon tree can help it grow
For a long time, people swear by peeing on citrus trees to help them grow and Thanh says this underrated hack can yield some good results.
“Peeing on the lemon tree will give you [a] comparable amount [of nutrients] become general fertilizer. These nutrients help the tree’s health, more flowering and more fruit.”
If you prefer to use store-bought produce, Thanh says that a good fertilizer for your lemon tree generally includes nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) in the ingredients list.
Cutting and storing lemons
You may have watched chefs roll their lemons before they cut them and then wondered why they took this extra small step?
Juicing lemons can be a tough job, but Thanh explains that when you roll a lemon before cutting it, juicing is a lot easier.
“When you roll a lemon, you’re actually destroying the vesicles, so the juices are easy to come by once you squeeze them,” he says.
What you use the lemon for will determine the best way to cut it.
If you’re making homemade lemonade or cooking a recipe where you want to get all the juice out of your lemons, Thanh recommends cutting it horizontally rather than vertically. This way you will squeeze all the juice out of each segment.
But if you’re looking for lemon wedges to accompany your meals — like fish and chips — then cutting them vertically is the way to go.
The great thing about lemons – unlike other fruits – is that they last a long time. If you store it in the refrigerator, you can store it for up to six months.
Is bottled lemon juice a good alternative?
Packaged lemon juice can be a good alternative but there are differences in taste.
“Bottled lemon juice contains preservatives and may have been cooked to stabilize it so it will have a much milder lemon flavor,” Thanh says.
“If you want something fresh and you are going to eat it fresh, [like in salads, cocktails, or oysters] then fresh lemon is the way to go.
“If you’re cooking a savory dish and [cooking] lemon juice, bottled juice is actually a good choice,” he said.
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