Preserving Lemons with Angie
A couple weeks ago, while isolated at home and not able to invite people over for dinner, I decided to tackle my food pantry. Everything was taken out, shelves wiped down, like-items reconnected, and out-of-date products tossed in the bin. That’s when I “found” a last jar of Preserved Lemons. It was dated 2017 and had darkened. Normally, that would have been tossed out too, but it was all I had and was just what I wanted to add to the Chickpea Stew with Spinach recipe I’d planned to make.
When opened I noticed the salty lemon juice was slightly gelatinous but the smell and taste was normal. This “jelly” I was to learn is considered a delicacy to be added to soups and stews or mixed in yogurt. I rinsed off a lemon, remove the pulp and chopped the soft rind and added to the stew. It immediately enhanced the flavor. I decide that this would be the last time I’d be caught without a “fresh” jar at hand, or worse, none.
Fortunately, this is the time of year in California when friends offer up shopping bags filled with lemons from their backyard orchards. Many are my favored Meyers but in a pinch I’ll use most any variety. The Meyers have a wonderful balance between tart and sweet.
Check out this web site recipe section and make a few jars for yourself and for friends. I like to give a recipe along with the lemons so their jars don’t get pushed to the back of the pantry. Two favorite recipes from Tree of Life, Turkish Home Cooking are: Cumin-scented Roast Chicken with Preserved Lemons (page 190) and Crispy Borek with Feta, Parsley and Preserved Lemon (page 68).
Lemons: Most common everyday lemons are either Eurekas or Lisbons, though rarely does a market label their lemons as anything but “lemons.” A short neck at the stem end distinguishes the Eureka lemons, whereas Lisbons have no distinct neck but the blossom end tapers to a pointed nipple. Eurekas may have a few seeds and a pitted skin, while Lisbons are commonly seedless with smoother skin. Both types have medium-thick skins and are abundantly juicy.
Meyer Lemons: the Meyer lemon, named for Frank N. Meyer who first imported the tree from China in 1908, is a cross between a lemon and either an orange or mandarin. Its orange-yellow flesh is sweeter and has a thin smooth skin. They can sometimes be found in specialty food stores and farmer’s markets and are more widely available in California. They are a favorite for backyard orchards. In the 1960s they carried a virus that had the potential to damage other citrus crops, so their nation-wide sale was restricted. A new virus-free strain was developed, making them easier to find.