I roasted my last turkey this past week and used these in the cavity, for our favorite Lemon-Herb Roasted Turkey

I had about 6 of these already-zested and juiced lemon "shells" kept in freezer (a couple of years ago, I posted on using every last bit of the lemon, by saving the shells after zesting and juicing). I didn't even thaw the "shells", but tucked them inside the turkey, still a bit frosty.

With the  herbs in the garden abundant right now, I included a large bunch of rosemary, sage, and thyme sprigs.

To enhance the lemon and herb flavors, I brushed the skin of the turkey with a mixture of about 1/4 cup melted butter, 3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme.

Using the lemon "shells" and garden herbs was a delicious way to bring flavor to the turkey, at zero extra cost.

You know I like to make use of every little scrap of goodness. I only buy about a dozen fresh lemons per year (using bottled lemon juice for most cooking). So, I try to not waste any part of those precious, few, sunshiny jewels.

Using the whole lemon

For most cooking, I use bottled lemon juice. It's more convenient and less expensive than using whole lemons, for me. But when I have a recipe that I'd like to include some of the zest of the lemon, then I make sure I use every last bit of that lemon -- the juice, the zest and the pithy shell.

Often times, I only need one or two components of the lemon for a particular recipe, usually the juice and/or zest. With the remaining part, I simply freeze it. The zest can be frozen in a small container or zip loc bag. The juice can be frozen in a small container to be used within 6 months to a year. And the pithy portion freezes well for about 6 months (picks up freezer odors after about 6 months), and then used inside whole poultry to be roasted.

Keeping fresh-squeezed lemon juice

If you are keeping freshly-squeezed lemon juice in the refrigerator, it should remain fresh-tasting for about 3 days.  Likewise, if you thaw a container of home-squeezed lemon juice, and can't use it all immediately, use the remaining amount within 3 days. In contrast, commercially bottled lemon juice is pasteurized and contains preservatives, to kill bacteria and extend the refrigerated life of the product, for up to one year. If you have a lot of fresh-squeezed lemon juice to freeze, it may be advantageous to freeze in ice cube trays, then transfer cubes to a zip loc bag once frozen.

Storing whole lemons

I seem to have incredible luck with keeping fresh lemons, as mine can keep refrigerated for several months. This last batch of lemons I bought in May, and I just recently used the very last of the bag. I keep them in the produce drawer in an open, and very loose-fitting, plastic bag. The plastic bag holds in a bit of the moisture, but by remaining open and loose, mold doesn't seem to develop. By the time I used the last of this purchase, the last lemon was not as firm as when newly purchased, but it was still in decent-enough shape to zest, juice and cook with.

Once a fresh lemon is cut, place the cut side down, into a glass dish or container and cover. Use within 3 days.

Freezing lemon slices to use in drinks later

While raw lemons will lose some their original texture in freezing, they can be added to drinks, both hot and cold, even after freezing. Slice whole lemons thinly, and place on a sheet of parchment or plastic wrap on a baking sheet, then freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a zip loc bag. One or two slices of frozen lemon adds both flavor and visual interest to beverages. Surprisingly, they do not come out of the freezer all mushy, as you might expect.



I have one more recipe to make this summer, using a couple of fresh lemons, Lemon-Rosemary Finishing salt. I posted about making the Lemon-Rosemary salt late in 2013. This is such a favorite, here. With an abundance of rosemary this year, I can't think of a single reason to not make another batch. Yum! I can taste it in my mind, already!

Homemade gummy candies using real (canned) fruit and/or fruit juice

A couple of weeks ago, we got to talking in the comments' section about making gummy candy. My friend, Sara, (if you read the comments' section, Sara is a frequent contributor) mentioned making gummy candy with her grown sons. Sara is quite an accomplished cook, so I trust her ability to search out recipes, then tweak them to work even better. I asked her to share her method and recipes for gummy candies, and to our good fortune, she agreed and has provided them, here, today. Thank you, Sara! 

If you have questions or comments, Sara has agreed to make herself available to answer them.

"Good morning, everyone.  I'm very flattered that Lili asked me to share our recipes for gummies with all of you, after the recent discussion of uses for lifetime supplies of unflavored gelatine.

One of our sons originally found a recipe for fruit-and-juice gummies from The Undressed Skeleton site. http://undressedskeleton.tumblr.com/post/42764785751   I have done a banana version, and it was very tasty.  This time we used leftover canned fruit; and this would also be good for over-ripe/imperfect fruit that is flavorful but not pretty. This makes a medium-soft gummy with a little tiny bit of texture, in a generous batch.

The recipe for all-juice gummies is from  the Elana's Pantry site. http://elanaspantry.com/gummy-bears/ Elana Amsterdam has many good recipes for other items there, as well.  The first time I used her recipe with papaya juice, it was excellent; but this time we wanted to try and get a stronger fruit juice flavor. For those of you with kids or grandkids who will want the most recognizable, "authentic" gummy, I think that this style may be a better choice, though both types are fun and tasty.  This recipe is fairly small, probably to accommodate the size of molds.

You can buy cute gummy bear molds, but on this blog, I imagine I don't have to apologize for being happier to just use something I already had.  In this case, I used the smallest-circumference cutter from a biscuit cutter set I already had to cut shapes from a sheet of set gelatin in a casserole dish.  If you're going to use molds, please refer to Elana's directions for how much to cool the mixture before putting them into the molds, etc.

Unlike the original recipes, we actually didn't sweeten either of our recipes this time.  We do not eat stevia, and did not think we needed additional sweetening with these flavors.  If you want a sweeter result, however, I did use a little touch of honey for the gummies last time, and they set up just fine. We also altered the order of preparation steps to an order we felt would reduce potential clumping.


Apricot-Pineapple Gummies

1 1/2 cups canned apricots
1 1/2 cups canned pineapple slices
3/4 cup pineapple juice
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup water
5 1/2 packets unflavored gelatine

Put apricots and pineapple into a medium-sized saucepan, and cook and stir over medium heat until hot and softened some.  Transfer carefully to blender and puree.

Measure pineapple juice, lemon juice, and water (cold or room-temperature) in a 2-cup measuring cup.  Then add the packets of gelatine fairly quickly and efficiently, sprinkling it around the surface and jiggling the liquid to keep it dissolving in and keep it from clumping.  (This makes more sense as you do it than when you explain it.)  It should be fairly firm by the time you've poured the last packet.

Return the warm fruit puree to the saucepan, and add the soft-gelled gelatine/fruit juice mixture, whisking constantly until softened and fully-blended. Pour into rectangular casserole dish (ours is metric, but approx. 7" by 11").  Let set in refrigerator until firm (this happens quickly!) 

Cut with knife or shaped cutter. Loosen the first pieces at the edge, if your cutter doesn't pick them up, as ours did some of the time.  The rest should pry up easily with the tip of a fork or little flat spatula.  Store in the refrigerator in a single layer on a plate covered with plastic wrap or in ziplock bags.

Black Cherry-Elderberry Gummies
(We use these two juice concentrates for health reasons as well as taste. You can find them for fairly economical prices on-line at places like Vitacost.com.)

1/4 cup unsweetened black cherry juice concentrate
2 tablespoons unsweetened elderberry juice concentrate (a.k.a. sambucus)
enough water to make 1 cup of liquid total
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 packets unflavored gelatine

Measure juices into 2-cup glass measuring cup, then add water to equal 1 cup.  Pour 1/2 to 2/3 of this mixture into a saucepan and heat to a simmer over medium heat.

Meanwhile, add contents of gelatine packets to remaining cold or room-temperature juice mixture, as described above.  When juice is heated, pour gradually back into measuring cup, whisking constantly.  Then continue to whisk until gelatine is dissolved and fully-blended.

Pour immediately into a 1-quart  square casserole (for thicker gummies) or 1 1/2-quart round casserole, and chill in the refrigerator until firm. 

The top surface of this batch was frothy. Flip them over for best presentation.

Cut, move, and store as above, except if your mixture was frothy, flip gummies to display the slick, shiny underside on top.



The number of gummies you are able to make from each recipe will depend on the size of your pan and your cutter, as well as the amount of waste in-between cuttings. 

DO be frugal, though, and plan to eat the "waste" strips and bits.  They may not look cute, but they taste just as yummy (and gummy!)  See photo of our bowl of gummy "ends and pieces"."


Looks good, Sara! I can't wait to try my hand at making these!