Tuesday, August 23, 2011

preserved lemons






















I've wanted to make preserved lemons for ages, but always forget. There are so many recipes I want to try with them - I've now taken the first step.

Preserved Lemons
adapted from about 4 recipes I've collected over the years
8-10 organic lemons, scrubbed well
1/2 cup kosher salt - might need more
juice from about 2-3 extra lemons
sterilized jar

Put 2 tbsp of salt in the bottom of your jar.
Cut off the stem and any pokey out piece on your lemons. Cut the lemons in half lengthwise without cutting through the base, quarter the lemon while keeping it intact.
Rub about a tbsp on each lemon, inside and outside and place in jar. Do this with as many lemons as you can cram into the jar. A few of my lemons ended up cut right in half and it filled the jar well that way. Once the jar is full, add extra lemon juice to cover all the lemons. Put 2 tbsp of salt on the top and seal the jar.
Turn the jar upside down once a day and after 2 days put the jar in the fridge, turning occasionally. After 3 weeks the rinds will have softened (or so I've read!).
To use, remove a lemon from the jar and rinse well to remove salt. Throw out the pulp and seeds and use the rind as called for in a recipe.
I'll update you on the process as it goes along and will come up with recipes when the rinds are ready! The lemons keep anywhere from six months to a year.



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