It's that time of the year when everyone has surplus citrus, lemons in particular. We've got three dwarf Meyer lemon trees laden here at Struan Farm at the moment. I've shared some with Piopio's "Community Fruit & Veg Stand," but I'm also using them myself. I go through a fair amount of lemons in cooking (zest and juice) and in my homemade vinaigrettes for salads.
This week I decided to make a jar of preserved lemons to put in the pantry. I found a recipe by Chef Peter Gordon that looked pretty good. Lemons are washed and cut in quarters, almost, then stuffed with coarse sea salt. The lemons are then pushed into a sterilised jar and 2 tablespoons of additional sea salt added before the jar is topped up with fresh lemon juice and sealed. It's meant to be left in a dark place for 45 days. Once opened the jar should be refrigerated, but preserved lemons keep for a long time.
Be warned: lemon curd may be next!
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