As I previously mentioned I have an INSANE amount of lemons from my bush to use this fall. As a result I’ve been scoping out number recipes to use them. I’ve especially been interested in any recipe that allows me to save them for a future date. Therefore, marmalade, preserved lemons, lemon syrup etc. all have been high on my list of recipes to try. Unfortunately, lemon marmalade take quite a bit of preparation time and I didn’t have the bandwidth to make it during the week.
So I decided to give preserved lemons a shot. You might think preserved lemons equal lemon preserves but that is not the case. The process of making preserved lemons is actually a pickling process involving salt, spices and time. Preserved lemons are a condiment often used in Moroccan (North African) or Indian recipes. I got the recipe I used from the New York Times.
The process is fairly straightforward and requires minimal time and effort in terms or prep. Most of the work is actually waiting on the fermentation process. My batch started fermenting yesterday so I should have preserved lemons to use sometime between X-mas and New Year’s. Bloody Mary’s with fermented lemon juice sounds like a great New Year’s day brunch beverage.