There are a number of recipes that call for Lemons preserved in salt..... basically layering the lemon slices in-between layers of salt.

Any citrus can be sliced and stored in the fridge in a one-to-one or one-to-two sugar solution.... the first one being the amount of sugar and the second the amount of water. The soaking-syrup is also wonderful when you need to add a little something to a sweet recipe.

I've preserved lemons (a combination of Wolfert's method and Kremezi's seasonings). I use salt, lemon juice, pink peppercorns, fresh bay leaf and cinnamon stick.

Carol

I haven't eaten them yet. I just made Moroccan preserved lemons per Wolfert (although I added a couple cardomom pods).

I wondered about making some with garlic, rosemary, bay leaf and peppercorns....

I used Meyers lemons. I will look into preserved limes and oranges, sounds interesting!

This thread, and the fact that I have more ripe Meyers lemons than I can use, inspired me to try this. I made two batches, one plain (just the salt) and the other one using peppercorns, bay leaves, cardamom, and I think coriander (I could not find my cinnamon sticks), well, and salt too of course. I used the method described by Wolfert (quarter lenghtwise, and pack with salt). They look really lovely, all the bright lemon quarters in the jars with the spices and salt. The juice that came off the lemons just pressing them against the jar is covering the whole thing. They are very juicy lemons. I know, not a true lemon...

According to the instructions they should be ready in about a week from now. How do I tell if they are ready or not?

Any recommendations for recipes where I can use these preserved lemons? any other words of advice?

Cinnamon sticks keep almost forever. Suggest that you get a few and keep them in an air tight jar for use later. I have chips, whole, and ground cinnamon. Also, there are a few different types, some with more oil than others, some sweet, some hot. So a mix is always good. For a spices, I would not use many peppercorns, but instead, allspice and maybe a touch of clove.

I don't know about processing the salt preserved citrus but you can BWB citrus sections in water, juice or syrup though I don't think most people like canned citrus.

I *HEART* preserved lemon's. I tend to not go through fresh lemon's very quickly and I love preserved lemon's for their versatility! I mince them up and add them to salad dressings, into sauces, basically anything that calls for lemons. I also had a sliver to limoncello martini's and other mixed drinks.

I have yet to experiment with preserved limes and today I'm going to try my hand at preserved oranges. I just think the "pickled" orange zest will go amazing with some whiskey!

Did you get to make the preserved oranges? How did they turn out? Were they sweet, grocery store eating and juicing oranges? Thank you

I made preserved lemons, one batch with canning salt and one with Kosher salt. Both were inedible. I must have done something wrong, though how many ways can you add salt to citrus and put in a jar? (rhetorical question)
Nancy

Thank you for answering. I'm sorry your lemons were inedible. Pooh.

I do salt preserved lemons & oranges every citrus season. This year, i decided to one-up myself and i made sale & pepper preserved kumquats as well! I love, love, love salt preserved citrus. They're perfect for a well stocked home bar and they are great for any recipe that calls for citrus zest, I just chop them into tiny, tiny pieces. I love, love, love them!

Hi Nancy! How long did you let them ferment on your counter for?

Please do let me know the end of this story. I would live to try preserved lemons but not if they turn out to be inedible. I will do some research while I wait for your results and thanks for the neat ideas!

Treehugger: one year I had many, many lemons. In addition to juicing the lemons to freeze for lemonade, I also made:
lemon oil - hard to use effectively;
Lemon's preserved in salt - apparently not for my ethnic type of cooking;
Lemon peel soaked in a simple sugar solution - very useful using both the
preserved lemon peel and the flavorful syrup;
Lemon peel preserved in granular sugar - OK but not highly useful as the sought for flavored sugar;
Whole sliced lemons buried in sugar - made lots of very sweet lemon juice that fermented and made a delightful addition to Vodka!

Wait, wait, wait. Whole sliced lemons buried in sugar? I'm intrigued. Please explain :)

:-). I thick-sliced lemons and layered them in sugar in a big glass jar. As they juiced-out they dissolved the sugar. Somehow some fermenter got in the jar -- probably from the lemon rinds -- and eventually turned the 'lemon syrup' into a liquor. I'd like to try making some more of that good stuff!

While this may be a bit "off topic" - it still comes under the heading of "what to do with --"

We have had bumper crops of citrus for years. This past year, I have been making lime wine. Now fermenting my 3rd batch. It is very refreshing and can mix with more robust red wines to make a nice rosea-type.

I think lemons and oranges would probably also work, but so far have only tried the limes. They are sort-of a lime-aid with a slight "kick."

If interested, Google "Skeeter's Pee" wine. It's easy. I just squeeze and freeze the juice first to have on hand when my fermenter is ready.

bejay

westelle, what type of ethnic cooking did you dislike using salt preserved lemons in?

When you slice lemons to bury in sugar, how do you keep from your 'lemon syrup' from going bad?

Thank you for your list of what preserved lemons were usable and what was not.

uaskigyrl, did you try your preserved oranges? If so, what kind of oranges did you use? Have you liked your kumquats?

bejay9_10, you awe me. Fermenting wine?!

My first batch of salt preserved lemons is about 6 weeks old. They have been used once-- got 1 vote against using them, 1 vote for using them, and 1 vote abstaining from opinion.

I did do the preserved oranges and the preserved kumquats.

I use the preserved oranges in a lot of things, mostly in homemade bar drinks though!

I have yet to try the kumquats. I do have a plan for them though!

Merrybookwymn: I don't care much for Ethnic foods in general... with rare exceptions. I'm learning.

My lemon syrup fermented and became a liquour. It started out as an experiment.