Fresh lemons are timeless! This time of year gardeners are loaded with lemons and finding ways to store and preserve them means that there will be lemons throughout the long hot summer. I wanted to share two easy ways of preserving lemons and how I will use them throughout the year.
I do squeeze a lot of juice and freeze in ice- cube trays. Once frozen, I remove from the trays and pack them into a large container. They keep for a long time and this way I always have lemon juice on hand until the next lemon harvest. This is often used for lemonade, recipes that call for plain lemon juice and vinaigrettes.
However, I am also very fond of preserving lemons with salt. I started doing this a couple of years ago and now it is a must do.
Moroccan preserved lemons are gaining popularity and are very easy to make. I made a large jar of these but I also made a Jerusalem preserved lemons. Both are really easy to make and require very few ingredients. I chose to use Meyer lemons for the Jerusalem lemons, but you can use any variety you have on hand. There are several different ways to make Moroccan Preserved Lemons, all basically have the same result. In the past I have even sliced the lemons and layered them in the jar, but this is less labor intensive.
The salt removes all the bitterness from the lemon pith and leaves a very bright lemony tasting preserve. Many recipes will call for using the preserved peel only, however I see no reason to waste the inside of the lemon.
Making Moroccan Preserved Lemons
You will need:
- Sterilized glass jars ( any size, depending on how many lemons you use).
- Unwaxed lemons.
- Salt.
Method:
- Boil the jars for 20 minutes to sterilize before working with them.
- Wash the lemons and have a large clean work surface to work with.
- Cut through the lemons as though you were quartering them, but do not cut all the way through. They should still be intact at the base.
- Fill each lemon with 2 teaspoons of salt and pack into the glass jar. Pack the lemons with as little air pockets as possible. You could also pack it in, seal the jar and leave it for a day or two to sit. The salt will start to soften them and pull out the juice making it easier to push them down in the jar and fill up the jar with more lemons if needed.
- Then add in some freshly squeezed lemon juice to fill up the jar. If you are making a small jar, you will need about half a cup of juice at most. If you are making a large jar, you could add 1 cup of lemon juice and then top off the remained with boiling water.
- Sit in a dark cupboard for six weeks. This will cause some lacto fermentation. Open the jar(burp) every couple of days to release the pressure build up of the carbon dioxide.
- After six weeks, remove from the cupboard, they are ready to use. Store on the fridge and used as needed.
- When you need to use them, remove what is needed and give a quick rinse to remove excess salt.
- I also recommend holding off on any salt your dish may require until the lemons have been incorporated.
How To Use Moroccan Preserved Lemons
- In any North African stew, tagines, or Middle Eastern recipe.
- Use in pesto when fresh lemons are not in season.
- Flavor hummus.
- Chop little bits and add to salads with grains such as farro, quinoa, or barley.
- As a lemony addition to any kind of quinoa, rice or other bowl, type meals.
- Anything beans. Stir some chopped bits into creamy white beans, use in bean purees or bean hummus.
- Add a few chopped bits to a salad dressing.
- Add to guacamole for a different flavor.
- Use in seafood dishes.
- Stuff the cavity of a whole chicken with one preserved lemon before roasting.
- Make roasted lemon potatoes with lots of garlic and oregano.
- Stir some into sauteed green beans with almonds.
Jerusalem Preserved Lemons
You will need
- Sterilized Jars
- Unwaxed lemons
- Salt
- 1-2 sprigs rosemary
- Red Chilli flakes or 1 whole chili
- A few black peppercorns
- A bit of olive oil.
Method:
- Sterilize the jar and prepare the lemons as before.
- When filling them into the jar however do not worry about the large air pockets. Those air pockets will help with the Lacto fermentation that will occur.
- Seal the jar and store in a dark cupboard for 4-5 days. The juice will be released from the lemons and you may heat a bit of a sound when you open the jar due to the fermentation.
- After four days, add in the rosemary, pepper, and spices. Top the rest of the jar with fresh lemon juice finally add the olive oil. I used about 2 tablespoons for a quart jar.
- Refrigerate for four weeks. After four weeks it is ready to use.
- Using gloves remove the leaves from the rosemary stem and get rid of the stem. Add everything to a food processor and blend. It can then be stored in a glass jar in the fridge. I like to add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil on the top before storing .
How To Use Jerusalem Preserved Lemons
- Hummus!
- Add to some pasta with a huge handful of fresh chopped herbs and lashings of a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Anything with chickpeas.
- Stir some into plain yogurt and cucumber for a different take on tzatziki.
- Lemon and rosemary mushrooms or chicken.
- Make a lemon gremolata with the rind, garlic, and parsley. Use on roasted asparagus, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, and more.
- Stir into boiled fava beans, and pile onto fresh slices of a baguette.
- Add a dollop to a cheeseboard for something different.
- Add to mashed cauliflower.
- Anything seafood.
- In marinades.
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