Lemons – those beautiful intense balls of sunshine!

If lemons are over in my kitchen, I literally panic and start hunting through the fridge and vegetable baskets for any forgotten piece I could use. This  leads me to the purpose of this post – preservation, and fermentation of lemons so I always have them on hand:)

Preserving lemons in salt is process that originated in the Middle East centuries ago.

Old tried and tested techniques of preserving food are so simple and beneficial. They also transform the food into bold and intense flavors adding quite a unique punch to many dishes

Our kitchen is a global one, Kashmiri, Moroccan, Turkish, Indian, Thai to name a few – the theme is intense flavors.  Preserved lemons are perfect to add to a Tagine, Lentils, Salads, and Soups. I added a couple to a basil pesto and tahini salad dressing today and they both turned out perfect. Just remember they are salty so manage your recipe accordingly

So not much of a recipe to make these, just lemons and salt packed into jars where they ferment for several weeks. There is zero waste in this recipe. I have taken the squeezed lemons and chopped them up and fermented them too.

Here is how I put them together:

• 4 organic lemons
• 2-4 additional lemons for juice
• 1/4 cup pink salt

• Cut lemons into quarters but don’t cut all the way through. Leave about 1/2 inch at the bottom intact to keep the lemon pieces attached.
• Stuff about 1 tablespoon of salt into a cut lemon and stuff the lemon into a clean mason jar.
• Push them down to break down the lemons and get the juice out
• juice the additional lemons  into the jar until the juice covers the lemons
• I have chopped and fermented the juiced lemons as well separately so there is no waste.
• I have used a glass weight to weigh down the lemons and then sealed the jars.
• Burp them once a day for a few days and then let them relax in a dark spot in your pantry for several weeks.
• They can go in the fridge after 4-6 weeks. I had started to use the smaller jack in 4 weeks so it never made it to the fridge 🙂

I am co-hosting my favorite party at Angie’s Fiesta Friday. Please come and join us at this wonderful virtual culinary experience!

Also linking up at What’s for dinner? and at Hearth and Soul