One of my blog projects precludes the use of any fresh ingredients. I discovered that acidic white wines are the best substitute for lemon and lime juice when you're flavoring something. You can even do this in desserts (think sabayon)

For when you really, really need citrus - frozen orange juice concentrate (or pasteurized orange juice in cartons or bottles) is for some reason a better substitute than any of its lemon or lime counterparts. Pineapple juice in cans isn't too bad, either. I've often wondered why they can make an acceptable orange/pineapple version and not lemon or lime! Keep in mind that none of these have fresh enzymes, though, so you can't make possets or other enzyme-thickened desserts.

I have not found an acceptable source for dried lemon zest but I bet one is out there, you could also find (for desserts) a lemon marmalade or use candied lemon peel, both available mail-order.

The latest King Arthur Flour catalog lists citrus powders which they advertise as substitutes for fresh juice. I haven't used them but they might be worth a look.

All I know is those lemon shaped squeezy bottles smell and taste like diapers to me. NO I don't eat diapers, but it just has that weird chemically essence that reminds me of clean disposable diapers and clean garbage bags.

Santa Cruz Organic have pure organic lemon and lime juice in a bottle. It's way better than Real Lemon lemon juice (which isn't pure lemon juice).

The bottled key lime juice I've seen in supermarkets is generally of better flavor the green bottles or plastic fruit-shaped big brands. It's not as sour as lemon, but still imparts some sharp, floral notes that you may not get from a wine or vinegar.

It's going to change your flavor profile to use a vinegar or wine... so why not add some fresh herbs while you're at it? That will restore the complexity of lemon juice/zest.

I've never used it, but what about saba (concentrated unripe grape juice)? Sumac might work in some recipes too.

I use a lot of lemon juice in my cooking and salad dressing-making, but I generally don't buy fresh lemons (I live in Montana, plus I usually forget to buy them). I found that the Santa Cruz organic bottled lemon and lime juice are a really good substitute and don't taste anything like those little squeezy bottles shaped like lemons. If you taste them straight they don't really taste like fresh juice, but mixed into a vinaigrette, a drink, or in a cooked dish, they taste really great. I can only find them at my local organic food store, but you could probably buy them online or something.

Don't know how easy it would be to get in Anchorage but tamarind provides the citrus flavour in lots of Indian, Mexican and East Asian recipes. Tamarind concentrate should be available in any Asian grocers.

Seconded the Santa Cruz Organics bottled citrus juices. I use lemons and limes fairly sparingly, so instead of buying the fruits (which inevitably go off in my fridge) I keep the bottled stuff around.

I also like the bottled key lime juice. I buy the brand that has light green, opaque bottles with the little Florida Key scene on the front--it's significantly better than any other lemon or lime juice I've tried. Some of the lemon juices are really horrible.

If you're looking for a replacement for lemon zest, Penzey's sells dried citrus peels either in minced or powdered form. There are lots of applications for which that would work (baking, etc.), although there are some where it wouldn't be great (probably things that aren't cooked).

Nellie and Joe's Key Lime juice is excellent. I keep it in the fridge for recipes and cocktails; it seems to last as long as I need it to, which is to say I don't use it often but I always use it up before it goes bad.

If you fly South to visit family during the holidays or another time, you can bottle some fresh-squeezed citrus yourself (the Ph makes it safe to water-bath can). If you have access to a dehydrator, you can dehydrate citrus slices or pieces of rind to take with you, as well.

Check your grocery store's freezer section for Minute Maid lemon juice. It's usually with the frozen fruit instead of juices. My family's used this for years, and it's nothing like the vile lemon-shaped squeezy stuff.

I don't know if sumac (rhus glabra or other species) grows in Alaska but if it does its a fantastic lemon substitute. Makes delicious tart teas, and is medicinal to boot :).

I lived in interior AK for years and shopped in Anchorage and Fairbanks for groceries. Certainly I had some dud lemons, but no more than when I lived in Colorado or New York state. So try some freshies! If you do get a good one, you might buy a bunch, then squeeze and freeze the juice for use later. Even now I freeze lemon juice when the lemons are good. I freeze in an ice cube tray for easy use later.

I went on a rant a couple of years ago and stopped buying citrus fruits from the grocery stores because the only ones I could find were shipped in from California and I live 2 states away from Florida! That being said, to me the bottled juices work fine. I mainly use lemon or lime juice in recipes with enough other ingredients that the flavor doesn't stand out anyway or to keep fruits from turning brown in recipes. I don't know if Alaska has Aldi but they have a bottled lemon juice that tasted great when I used it for lemonade. Just don't buy the little plastic lemon or lime containers. They do impart a funky taste to the juice.

Hiya,

I live in Anchorage too. I highly recommend http://www.summitspiceandtea.com (located on Denali Street). You can get dried lemon, lime & Orange peels as well as powdered lemon & lime juices. Plus the staff is awesomely helpful.

You can use True Lemon and/or True Lime crystalized juice. It's pure lemon or lime juice that has been crystalized. They come in individual packets like sweetener or you can get them in shaker bottles. One packet equals one lemon or lime wedge. You can find them at some grocery stores with the artificial sweeteners. You can also order the product direct from the company. Just search True Lemon in your browser. The website even has recipes using the products. I use the True Lemon everyday in my water. I have a tendency to get kidney stones, so I have to drink lots of lemon water every day. The packets are great because you can carry them with you in your purse so you'll always have lemon for your water.

The Italian Volcano bottled lemon juice found at Costco is outstanding.

Doesn't really answer your original question but if you can have good quality ones shipped to you, then you could zest the lemon and squeeze the juice and freeze both.

I honestly feel like an idiot for sending this question now. I'd only been here a week or so and my father in law was talking about how all the fresh food here isn't great and how he grew up eating canned food because that's all they could get. Turns out Anchorage from 40 years ago isn't exactly the same as Anchorage now! Since then I've moved into my own place and started cooking, and I can attest that the lemons here are about the same quality as the ones I bought in Seattle. Thanks for all the suggestions though everyone!

I lived in Anchorage for 22 years and never had a problem finding good fruit - wonder where you're looking? Try the mid-town New Sagaya market, or at the very least, Costco - probably the biggest, best-stocked Costco on earth! (They ship to everyone in the Bush.) In fact, I was always impressed at all the great produce - though expensive, I could find even at local grocery stores. Good luck!

I wonder, if you have a cozy warm spot indoors, how well would a dwarf lemon tree grow up there? It'd get plenty of sun in the summer, and maybe need an electric light solution in the winter.

whole dried lemon/or lime ,you can buy them online from amazon,soak them in warm water for few mins to be able to poke a hole in the fruit with a knife ,then boil them in water and you will have a hot tea or you can add ice for iced tea,or sugar and ice for a juice .(I dont make a hole in them ,I crush them while dry using my huge mortar and pestle,after that I remove the seeds from inside to eliminate any bitter taste in my tea,then I boil the rest with water for like an hour ,let it cool down ,then store it in the fridge .
other drink that has a natural sour taste is hibiscus tea you can buy the dried uncut hibiscus flowers online and make your own tea/juice.
for cooking sumac or citric acid ,you also can use crushed dried lime .

I'm a big Santa Cruz fan, too. I always keep their lemon and lime juices around and a backup in the pantry.

Yes, True Lemon/Lime/Orange citrus powders are an excellent alternative and do not need refrigeration. Test a little at a time. I ruined a guacamole once by just dumping a whole packet of Real Lime in it.