How to Reuse Old Lemons in The Kitchen (And Beyond)

Lemons are among the most used fruits in the kitchen because you can make a bit of everything with them, from refreshing drinks to liqueurs, sweet and savory recipes, herbal teas and many other types of preparations. In short, they are an ingredient that should never be missing from our pantry. Yet, even though lemons are much more acidic than other fruits, they go bad quite quickly and you may find them dry and devoid of their freshness. This does not mean, however, that you have to throw them away.

In this guide we focus on how to reuse old lemons. Yes, because lemons are true protagonists in the art of recycling and even if they are no longer fresh they can still be used in many ways, both in the kitchen and at home, up to a use that concerns cosmetics and body care.

How to Reuse Old Lemons in The Kitchen

Maybe an old lemon is not good to be served fresh in slices or to become a gastronomic decoration, but inside it still has a lot to give: even if the outer peel has dried out, in fact, the juice is still delicious and usable. So squeeze your no longer fresh lemons, extract as much juice as you can and use it to prepare refreshing drinks such as the classic lemonade or the digestive canary, lemon-based cocktails or desserts that require the use of lemon juice. You can also freeze lemon juice in cubes to preserve it for a long time and have it on hand to flavor drinking water.

The juice squeezed from old lemons is also useful for preparing a tasty and fresh homemade ice cream: discover step by step how to easily obtain lemon ice cream with very few ingredients and even if you don't have an ice cream maker at home.

The juice is not the only reusable part of the old lemon: with the peel, in fact, you can obtain delicious candied fruit, just like you do with orange peels. The procedure is similar: wash the lemon, peel it by removing the bitter white part and leave the peel to rest in cold water overnight. The next day the peels should be boiled for two minutes, drained and dried, then simmered in a mixture of sugar and water that should cook for about 10 minutes, until it becomes a syrup. Once cooled, the candied lemon peels should be stored in a glass jar, always ready to use.

How to Use Old Lemons In Your Home

The beauty of lemons is that they are very versatile fruits not only in the kitchen, but also in many other areas of domestic life. Precisely for this reason there are many ways in which you can reuse your old lemons even away from the stove. Thanks to their many beneficial properties, for example, lemons are excellent in the field of cosmetics.

If you are a DIY enthusiast, you can use the peel of an old lemon in one of the most common ways to recycle it, that is, to create a homemade exfoliating scrub: all you need to do is chop the peel, combine it with coconut oil and sugar and you will have a natural product ideal for exfoliating the skin, making it soft and luminous.

The acid component present in lemon juice makes it an excellent natural cleaner. Combine the juice squeezed from old lemons with water, put the mixture in a spray bottle and use it to clean the surfaces of your home: not only will it disinfect them but it will also leave a pleasant smell in the air.

If you want a more intense cleansing, add white vinegar to the mixture of water and lemon juice: this way you will obtain an excellent natural degreaser, ideal for cleaning stoves, kitchen worktops and sinks, from which it can remove the most stubborn stains. And speaking of cleaning, if you have brass or copper objects, use your old lemons to polish them. All you have to do is cut them in half and rub them on the surfaces to be cleaned: the lemon juice will react with these metals, eliminating dirt and oxidation.

You can also use the scent of lemons, which even though they are old have not lost that inebriating fragrance so characteristic. Cut your old lemons into slices, put them in a pot with water and flavor everything with your favorite spices (such as cinnamon) and with vanilla. Bring everything to the boil and you will see that the scent released will spread throughout the room, making it fresh and very fragrant.

Finally, you can reuse your old lemons in the garden or to take care of your potted plants. In fact, lemons, even those that are no longer fresh, are very rich in nutrients that act as a real fertilizer, but 100% natural. All you have to do is chop the old lemons and spread them around the roots, so that the citric acid can act by enriching the soil and promoting plant growth.