Preserved Lemons

Gluten free - grain free - dairy free - refined sugar free - egg free - nut free - vegetarian
     In Winter, those of you with your own fruit trees may wonder what on earth to do with all your extra citrus.  Even if you don't have your own trees, citrus are much cheaper during winter and spring and it's worth stocking up and preserving some for those months when they're very expensive.   I always make a couple of big jars of preserved lemons during winter, to use in yummy dishes like this chicken dish, as well as Tagines and lamb casseroles through the year.  And, I always juice a bunch of excess lemons and freeze them in ice cube trays, then keep them in containers in the freezer so I always have lemon juice on hand when a recipe calls for it. 
    This is a very simple way to preserve lemons.  It simply involved a lot of salt and a few spices if you want to use them.  My recipe is based on one in the book The Art of Preserving by Jan Berry and Rodney Weidland.

The number of jars you will need depends on the size of the jars and the size of the lemons!  The original recipe says to use thin skinned lemons, but mine are pretty thick-skinnned and it still works!  I fit about 2 1/2 large, thick skinned lemons in a 500ml jar.  I prefer to use organic, home grown lemons - mostly so they don't have any wax coating and I know they've not been sprayed with any nasties, since you actually eat the skin. 

The following quantities are for 8-10 lemons.  Spread the  ingredients evenly between how ever many jars you are using.
Ingredients (per 8-10 lemons):

• 1/2 cup sea salt
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 peppercorns
• 2 cardamon pods
• additional juice of 2 lemons
• extra virgin olive oil

Method

• Make sure your jars are sterile.  I do this by washing them with boiling, soapy water, rinsing well, and placing both the jars and lids on a tray in the oven at about 110 degrees Celsius until all the water has evaporated from the jars.  (there are many other methods to sterilise jars- feel free to use your own!)
• Scrub the lemon skins to remove any dirt, scale or wax.
• Cut each lemon into quarters.
• Sprinkle some salt into the bottom of the jar and start stacking the lemon pieces, sprinkling with more salt, and adding the spices.  Squeeze the lemons in tightly as you go, releasing some of their juice.
• Keep stacking and squeezing, distributing the ingredients evenly between jars if you are using multiple jars. 
• Pour the juice from the additional two lemons into the jar/s.  I find that the jars are mostly filled with juice by this point.  Pour in enough extra virgin olive oil to fill the jar to the top.  This provides a seal and will help stop any mold from growing. 
• Seal with the lid as firmly as possible and store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
• Leave for at least a month before using (I prefer 2-3 months).  I have found they last as long as a year. 
• Once opened, store in the fridge.
• To use the preserved lemons, remove and discard the flesh, rinse the remaining preserved rind thoroughly under cool water and slice the preserved rind as directed in your recipe.