Preserved Meyer Lemons

Let me start by saying that the quantity of lemons vary based on the size and how juicy they are. I made 2 quart jars and started with 18 lemons and used them all plus 2 regular lemons to fill the jars with juice. So plan accordingly. You do not have to use Meyer lemons. Preserved lemons can be made quite successfully with regularly available lemons.

Per Quart:

12 Meyer Lemons

Kosher Salt

2 Cinnamon Sticks

2-4 Bay Leaves

1 clean quart canning jar with lid. A wide mouth would be easier but a regular works as well.

Put 1 T salt into the jar. On a piece of wax paper, quarter 6-8 of the lemons to 1/2" of the bottom so that you can open them up but do not separate them into pieces. Keep them as one, but open, like a flower and put in a heap of the salt. Close them back encasing the salt and the jar. Repeat, positioning them so that you can get as many in as possible squeezing some juice out as you squeeze them in together. How many you get in depends on the size of the lemons and how adept you are at positioning them next to each other. You should be able to get at least 6 in. I did 2 jars and got 7 in one and 9 in the other. As you are putting in the lemons, add a few bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. If you wait until it's full of lemons, you may not be able to get them in. I made one jar with both the cinnamon sticks and the bay leaf and the other with just the bay leaf. Pour the liquid and the salt on the wax paper into the jar, adding another big pinch of salt to the top. Squeeze enough lemon juice from the remaining lemons and add to the jar so that the lemons and liquid reach 1/2" from the top of the jar. Put on a lid. Write a date on the jar. Every 12 hours, turn the jar upside down to distribute the salt and juice among the lemons. After a week, refrigerate. You can begin using after 3 weeks. They should keep for a few months.

To use, scrape off the pulp and cut the lemon peels into strips or whatever is required for your recipe. You eat the rinds and they are yummy!

Peggy Bloodworth is left a high tech sales executive job to cook, create and entertain. She started a catering company: http://www.swankcatering.com where she, along with her business partner, Diane, plans and executes parties and weddings. She is a personal chef and cooking teacher and maintains a large garden and vineyard with her husband where they grow herbs, fruits and vegetables and put them up for consuming year around. Check out her website for more recipes.