When life gives you lemons

Just a very quick pop-in post today, telling you about a very quick (and timely) preserve I made this morning.

It’s citrus time, so the perfect time to be thinking about making marmalade and other citrusy preserves.  I shopped for lemons this weekend.  Bought 8, used 1.  Used another 6 today making a jar of preserved lemons.

Youngest son started me on this.  I love eating these in salads, cut up into small pieces.  Contrary to what all the recipe books, I eat the whole thing – can’t see the point of wasting the flesh and just eating the skins.  Youngest son made me a massive jar of these a few years ago as my Christmas present.  They were delicious.  When (eventually….) they ran out, I made myself some more.  In a smaller jar.  They were equally delicious.

All gone now though, so this morning I spent all of 10 minutes making some more.   This could not be more simple.  I used Claudia Roden’s Middle Eastern Cookery Book as a guide, but instead of leaving the lemons whole, I cut mine up into eighths.  I remove any pips that are apparent and easy to get to, then dip the cut edges into some salt.  I then squash them hard down into a clip-top jar.  Keep on going until the jar is full with all the lemons pushed well down.  Seal and leave for at least a month.

And that, honestly, is all there is to it.  Could. Not. Be. More. Simple.

In case you want to try this, I used 6 unwaxed lemons, which I washed in cold water and dried with a tea towel.  I had seven, but only 6 would fit in the jar.  I used about 100g of Maldon salt flakes.  There was some left, I guess that I actually used about 80g in all.  I’ve kept the leftovers in a small jar to use next time I make kraut.

This will probably be enough to last me until this time next year.  It cost a fraction of what it would cost to buy this quantity of preserved lemons.  It adds a delicious zing to all sorts of dishes.

I’ve taken to writing on the jar label what I’ve used, for future reference.  Because even though I’m always certain I’ll remember, I don’t.  This way I can make adjustments next time where needed.

Later this week – marmalade (inspired by Gillian at Tales from a Happy House).

Added 24.1.19 – see also ‘When life gives you lemons : addendum’