Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Preserved Lemons

I can't say "lemon" without actually thinking "yemon." When my niece was little (yitto), she couldn't say her Ls, so she replaced them with Ys.  So, here we have some preserved yemons.

In any case... I made some this morning with a windfall of meyer lemons (See? You're doing it now too!) from my friend at work.  Ever since I sorely lost a canning competition to someone who made preserved lemons (so original!), and ever since I bought a tagine, I've been wanting to make these. 

I followed this recipe.

Wash the lemons well and then slice off the ends of the lemon like so.  (Then line them up and take a photo, because I just think this is so pretty, I just might hang it on my wall)

 

Then almost quarter the lemons, leaving the lemon attached at the bottom:

 

Douse it with kosher or sea salt, making sure to get all surfaces covered with ample amounts of salt. I used a little more than 1 tablespoon of salt per lemon.


Here's a simplified version of the method I used.  First, place the lemon in a sterilized jar, and then squash it down to release the juices that will eventually cover your lemons. 


Squash!


If you don't have enough juice to cover the lemons, juice an extra lemon or two into the jar or take one wedge out.  Top it all off with a little more salt.

 

And voila!  Keep them on the counter top for a few days, flipping the jar daily, then move them to the refrigerator.  In about 3 weeks, the rinds will soften and they should be ready to go!  Rinse the lemons before using. 


 

I've seen the recommendation to add spices, so I threw some cloves in one of them.  Fingers crossed!  I will be making this when my preserved yemons are ready!