How to Store Lemons, Limes, and All of the Zesty Citrus in Your Life

Abeego and Citrus | No, citrus will not damage your Abeego.

When life gave Toni lemons, she built a brand around them. 

It was after studying the intrinsic qualities of a lemon peel that Toni's suspicions were confirmed—we had been totally punked by the plastic wrap industry to “lock and seal in freshness” for so many years. Food is ALIVE and needs to BREATHE.

When you have a whole lemon at home, you don’t wrap it in plastic. So why on earth do we do so once it’s been sliced? What makes us think that the juicy exposed citrus needs to be suffocated by a transparent and airtight container (like a plastic bag) when it’s been thriving protected in its own breathable & opaque peel? Well, it’s because we’ve been handed the wrong food storage tools. For years. 

You have not failed your food, your kitchen tools have failed you

Toni turned to nature to make her own DIY lemon peel, if you will—Abeego.
Toni holding up a lemon peel at a SheEO Pitch

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, WRAP THEM IN ABEEGO

Abeego and citrus are good friends and go way back. Citrus lasts forever in Abeego so you’ll never waste another half lemon again. You can expect the cut side of the fresh lemon, lime or orange to slowly lose moisture until it feels dry to the touch. The newly dried end creates a second peel that locks the juices into the fruit. When you’re ready to use your citrus, cut a thin slice off the front of the fruit to remove the dried edge and et voila! You have a perfect citrus fruit ready to eat or juice.

lime and grapefruit wrapped in Abeego

HOW LONG DO LEMONS LAST IN ABEEGO?

We’re bringing zesty back.

In the Abeego test kitchen, we sliced a whole lemon in half and wrapped one side in Abeego and the other side in airtight plastic wrap. We store them face up in the crisper drawer of the fridge. Two weeks later, we unwrapped them. 

half lemon wrapped in Abeego and the other half wrapped in plastic

THE RESULTS: The lemon on the left was wrapped in Abeego for 14 days and the lemon on the right in plastic for 14 days. Which would you rather squeeze atop your salad?

WRAPPED IN ABEEGO: Like the lemon's own skin, Abeego is breathable, protective and opaque. It lets food's natural oxidizing gases escape while still protecting it from air, light & moisture. After 14 days, we unwrapped Abeego to find a firm, zesty, juicy and ready-to-devour lemon.

WRAPPED IN PLASTIC: Airtight and transparent, plastic is unlike any peel, skin or rind found in nature. It causes food to suffocate, sweat, and exposes it to excess light (which contributes to food spoilage through photodegradation). After 14 days, we unwrapped the plastic to find a moldy, squishy, and wet lemon.

Not long ago, we also did a blind taste test of lemon juice from one lemon stored in Abeego and the other left naked. Turns out Abeego is also the best way to keep lemons delicious! Watch it here!

 

WILL CITRUS FRUITS DAMAGE ABEEGO?

Nope! Over the past 13 years, we’ve tested and retested our beeswax food wraps with various types of citrus, like oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits and we have never had issues with the acidity of the fruit breaking down the wax coating of an Abeego.

 Abeego and Citrus | No, citrus will not destroy your Abeego

HOW CAN I USE ABEEGO TO SAVE MY CITRUS FRUIT?

  • Make a packet and keep the zest of an orange, lemon or lime fresh in a Small or Medium Abeego
  • Keep lemon wedges bright & flavorful until you’re ready to garnish.
  • Store lime, orange, grapefruit or lemon halves in a Small Abeego
  • Wrap a pre-peeled orange and pack it as a snack
  • Wrap cut lime slices and take them to the office to refresh your daily lemon water
  • Fruit fly problems? Put whole lemons in a bowl on the countertop at room temperature and cover with a Medium Abeego.

     

     OUR FAVORITE CITRUS RECIPES

    • Use the whole darn lemon by adding it to one of our zero-waste smoothies - peel and all!
    • Get decadent this fall with Said the Pastry Nerd’s Date, Lemon & Orange Blossom Cake. Hot tip: make them as cupcakes and freeze to have a sweet & zesty treat on hand for weeks!
    • Add some lemon juice to our favorite kale stem pesto & reduce food waste while you’re at it (can you tell we love recipes that use the whole fruit or veggie?)
    • Find a halved lime in your fridge? Do a whole fridge clean out and whip up Food Waste Feast’s Zero Food Waste Quesadilla for a shared appetizer or the main dish (depending how full your fridge is)!

    SHOP ABEEGO & KEEP CITRUS ALIVE 

    SHOP NOW
     
    Abeego is the original reusable beeswax food wrap. Like food’s own peel, skin and rind, Abeego breathes and protects, extending the life of fresh food so you can enjoy it to the very last bite.

     


     


     

    It is with deep respect and gratitude that we create, build and operate our business in the communities of Southern Vancouver Island, which as a business we acknowledge is located within the ancestral and unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) (Esquimalt and Songhees), Malahat, Pacheedaht, Scia'new, T’Sou-ke and W̱SÁNEĆ (Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum) peoples.


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