Preserved Meyer Lemons

Despite the title, these do not need to be made specifically with Meyer lemons.  Any type of lemon will work.  In fact, you could even do this with oranges or limes – really any citrus type fruit could work.  I’m thinking grapefruit might be interesting to try!

During my prep, I noticed quite a few suggestions of adding whole spices: coriander, cumin, peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves and anise were quite common.  A little spice up to keep in mind for the next round.

Since it was proving to be such a challenge to find preserved lemons, I decided to give it a go.  Here is the approach I used for my first attempt. 

Preserved Meyer Lemons

Yields 1 ½ Litres

Preparation Time – 15 Minutes

Cooking Time – None

Cure Time – 30 Days

Ingredients

§  18 Meyer Lemons

§  Approximately ¾ to 1 Cup Kosher Salt

§  1 ½ Litre Jar - Sterilized

Preparation

1.       Wash, scrub and dry the lemons.  Cut any stems and hard bits.  Slice the lemon in quarters, without cutting all the way through.  The lemon should remain intact.

2.       Add two tablespoons of salt to the bottom of the jar.  Set aside close by.

3.       Over a bowl, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt in the center of each lemon (13 in all).  Reshape the lemon, keeping as much of the salt inside.  Add the lemon to the container.  Continue this process, layering as many lemons as possible in the container, squishing down as you go.  Sprinkling 1 tablespoon of salt per additional layer. 

4.       Add the juice of the remaining 5 lemons to cover the contents. 

5.       Shake the container a few times and set in a warm place.  Shake the container each day for 30 days.   

* Notes

v  Keeps for approximately a year and apparently the brining juice can be used a few times.

v  Rinse before using.

v  Meyer lemons were from Dandy Meyer Lemons, Visalia, California, and are a cross between lemons and clementine.

Even though it hasn’t even been 24 hours since I made the batch, I plan to modify the recipe by simply adding the 5 additional lemons, rather than their juice.  By the time the lemons have had a chance to sit with the salt they really start to release their juices.

The countdown begins – 29 more days before I can give them a taste test!

Enjoy!