I have said this before, "When life hands you lemons preserve them into submission". So again a tip for all you Black Friday shoppers out there: Do yourselves a favor, buy a bag of lemons tomorrow, and preserve them. I know this sounds a little odd, but trust me it is worth it in the long run. Bonus: the lemons will probably not be as in high demand as that newest generation electronic or toy of the moment, but after a month of preserving I guarantee these lemons will be more popular and less riddled with guilt.
I had researched a lot of different sites before I made my preserved lemons. Many of them used Meyer lemons, but I used what I had available from my local Aldi's, good old-fashioned lemons. After scrubbing the whole lemons with a vegetable scrubber, I rubbed them with salt, quartered and packed them tightly into a clean Atlas quart jar given to me in a lot of jars from my grandparents stash. I added additional tablespoons of salt after each lemon was added, cardamon pods along the way, a few bay leaves, and a whole cinnamon stick for good measure. This was then covered over with additional Real Lemon juice and placed in the refrigerator for a month shaking daily to redistribute the salt.
What emerged was truly wonderful, quite like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. All parts of the lemons after a month were ready to be used in recipes. Whether the peel, flesh or juice, they were ready to impart a unique brightness, a subtle citrus burst. I am not kidding, I made a creation tonight using the lemons as a favor profile and it was incredible. So just do it. Buy those lemons and preserve them, in a month your taste-buds will scream THANK YOU!
Prepare as directed above placing in clean jar. Cover tightly with lid and place in refrigerator for 1 month shaking daily. We dove into these recently at our household to create a satisfying dish. Check out recipes here and here for these tasty gems as an ingredient!
