I have been caught on more than one occasion needing citrus zest for a recipe and buying a lemon or an orange just so I can harvest the zest. Annoyingly, I have often just used a lemon or eaten an orange a day or two earlier and the now much needed zest is languishing in the compost bin.

photo by David Peterman

It finally occurred to me to harvest citrus zest when I have it even if I don’t need it at the moment.  I place the zest of one lemon or one orange in an ice cube tray compartment and add enough juice just to bind the zest and keep it hydrated. Once frozen, pop each one out and store them in a freezer container.

I find it helpful to do the same thing with lemon juice when I have extra lemons around that might go bad before I can use them. The joy of being one step ahead of myself by having zest and juice in the freezer when I need it, is immensely satisfying.

Ice cube trays are great for freezing extra chicken stock, tomato paste, and pesto as well. I especially like the trays with flexible silicone bottoms, the frozen contents pop right out with a little push.