Make Lemon Olive Oil
Olive oil and lemons are two superfoods. Olive oil is great for your heart and keeping your cholesterol in check and lemons promote blood circulation and contain necessary antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Infusing olive oil with lemon is a great way to add extra flavor and spice to dishes that include rice, pasta, potatoes, fish, vegetables, and poultry. A nice bottle of lemon infused olive oil also makes a lovely gift. Make lemon olive oil by soaking fresh, tangy lemon peels in a clean container of high quality olive oil.
Steps
- Buy 6 lemons from your grocery store, organic market or local produce stand.
- Look for lemons that are fully ripe. A ripe lemon will feel heavy for its size, be bright yellow, and have a skin that is textured with a finely grained peel.
- Use extra virgin olive oil. If you do not have it, buy some from your grocery store. Extra virgin oil is best because it tastes light and can be used to cook with almost anything.
- Plan to use about 3 cups (24 oz.) of oil to the 6 lemons. Many olive oil bottles come in a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} size, and this will work as well.
- Wash the lemons under cold running water. Allow them to dry by patting them with a paper towel or leaving them on a cutting board to air dry.
- Peel each lemon. Throw out any peels that have pieces of lemon flesh on them. Only the peel can be used in the infusion process, no fruit at all.
- Leave the peels to dry for at least 1 hour. If any moisture goes into the olive oil on the lemon peel, you will be at risk of growing bacteria or mold in your lemon olive oil.
- Put the dried lemon peels into any jar or container you have that comes with a tight fitting lid. If you are presenting the lemon olive oil as a gift, choose a decorative jar or something fancy.
- Look for a 1 qt. (.95 L) jar for this method. If you start with fewer or more lemons and oil, you will have to adjust or use several jars.
- Pour the extra virgin olive oil into the jar, over the lemon peels. Seal the jar tightly.
- Allow the oil and lemon to sit for 2 weeks. Keep the jar in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.
- Strain the oil through a sieve at the end of 2 weeks. You can discard the lemon peel that was used to infuse the oil with the lemon flavor.
- Return the oil to the jar, or select a new jar for presentation and storage.
- Look for ways to use your lemon oil. Recipes can be found in cookbooks and online, at sites such as The Food Network, Cooking.com and Epicurious.
- Attach a recipe card with the jar of lemon olive oil if you are giving it away as a gift. Handwrite or print the recipe and ingredients on a small note card, and attach it to the bottle or jar with a piece of ribbon.
Tips
- Use organic lemons if you can. Many people prefer the taste of organic citrus, and appreciate the fruit is grown without pesticides or other chemicals.
- Make sure the containers you use to hold the lemon olive oil are clean and dry. Any moisture in the oil will support bacterial growth and can cause botulism or mold to grow in your oil.
Things You'll Need
- Lemons
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Knife or peeler
- Jars/Bottles
- Sieve
